Max Verstappen converted his second pole position of the 2023 F1 season into his second victory of the year at the Australian Grand Prix, after recovering from an early setback.
It was certainly one of the most eventful Australian GPs in recent years, with the race having featured three red flags.
Verstappen’s only issue in the race came before any of them, though, as the Dutchman slipped from first to third on the opening lap.
He was overtaken by George Russell on the rundown to Turn One before being passed by the other Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton at Turn Three, following a great move by the seven-time World Champion.
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Verstappen left the door open to Hamilton on the entry to the corner, with the 38-year-old having needed no second invitation.
Hamilton dived down the inside of the Dutchman and made the move stick, with Verstappen having been forced wide and onto the kerbs.
Whilst no contact was made, the reigning World Champion was far from pleased, as he revealed over the team radio.
“He pushed me off the track, I was ahead and he pushed me wide,” Verstappen complained over the team radio.
No investigation was carried out into the overtake, with 2009 F1 World Champion Jenson Button having immediately labelled the move as being completely legal, whilst commentating for Sky Sports F1.
Ultimately, Verstappen didn’t need Hamilton to be penalised in order to finish ahead of him, with the 25-year-old having used his superior straight-line speed later in the race to move into the race lead.
He went on to claim victory fairly comfortably, despite the red flag stoppages.
The Dutchman did discuss Hamilton’s overtake during his post-race interview, where he admitted he didn’t “really understand” how the overtake was legal.
“We had a very poor start,” Verstappen said.
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“Lap 1, I was careful because I had a lot to lose and they had a lot to win, you know?
“After that, I think the pace of the car was quick – you could see that straightaway. We were always there, waiting for the DRS to open up to have a chance to pass but, with these red flags… I don’t know.
“The first one maybe you can do it, but I think, that second one, I don’t really understand. It was a bit of a mess but we survived everything. We had good pace in the car today again and we won which is most important.”