MOTORSPORT: Verstappen leads F1 back to Melbourne

Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen drove both fast and smart to claim his first grand prix victory of the 2022 season this morning in Saudi Arabia.

Starting fourth, Verstappen took until the dying laps to move past opening race winner Charles Leclerc, using smart tactics and better tyres to claim victory for Red Bull.

The win gives him momentum heading to Albert Park for the first time since 2019 but Ferrari clearly has a slightly quicker car as Leclerc and his teammate Carlos Sainz filled the podium.

Poor Sergio Pérez, who started from pole position with Red Bull for the first time in F1, got shuffled down the order in the early pitstops and trailed home fourth ahead of George Russell of Mercedes.

Lewis Hamilton was never remotely in contention after starting 15th and was lucky to get a single point for 10th place following a series of retirements that included Daniel Ricciardo, who at least had the consolation of leading his McLaren teammate Lando Norris when his car lost drive.

There were a string of mechanical failures in the Saudi heat, including Valtteri Bottas of Alfa Romeo and Fernando Alonso of Alpine, while Nicholas Latifi crashed out and Alex Albon had last-lap contact with Lance Stroll – which earned him a grid penalty for Albert Park – on a tough night for Williams.

Mick Schumacher was never going to start after a practice crash that destroyed his Haas and Yuki Tsunoda also missed the race after a mechanical failure on his AlphaTauri on the way to the grid.

It took Verstappen several attempts to get to the front, as the Red Bull lacked the top speed of the Ferrari at the quickest course on the F1 calendar.

“We were battling hard at the front. It was tough but I’m really happy we’ve finally kick-started the season,” says Verstappen.

“It wasn’t easy playing smart tricks in the last corner, but eventually I managed to get ahead. They were really quick through the corners, we were quick on the straight, but the tyres were wearing out quite quick around here.

“You could see [in] the end, I think, we had a little bit more pace so I just tried to get by.”

The result means Leclerc leads the points table after a first-up win in Bahrain, but he knows it’s just the start of a long battle.

“It wasn't enough today, but I really enjoyed that race,” says Leclerc.

“It's hard racing but it's fair and every race should be like this. It was fun, but I'm obviously disappointed, I wanted to win today.”

Sainz had a relatively quiet run to third, but Perez was gutted to lose his chance of winning.

“This is racing. It will come around for us one day but it hurts because we did everything we possibly could to win this race from pole,” says the Mexican.

Hamilton is hoping for better in Melbourne, but not remotely confident after a desultory race with Mercedes.

“Right now we are not fighting for the top step, we are still far off the guys who are ahead and we’ve got a lot of work to do,” says Hamilton.

“It feels like a long way away. We need more grip and we need more power.”

The Formula 1 world championship continues with the Australian Grand Prix on March 27.

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