Australian Grand Prix 2022 results: Dominant Leclerc wins to go 34 points clear as Verstappen retires again

Charles Leclerc dominated the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday to win for the second time in 2022, as world champion Max Verstappen again failed to finish.

Leclerc led all 58 laps in Melbourne as he increased his championship lead to 34 points on a day when his main rivals all hit trouble.

Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz spun out on the second lap after trying to recover from a poor start, while Verstappen had struggled with tyre graining before suddenly stopping on Lap 39 with a mechanical issue.

Red Bull rescued some points in the constructors' championship, with Sergio Perez 2nd - but he was a distant 2nd to Leclerc. George Russell benefitted from pitting behind the safety car after a Sebastian Vettel crash to score his first podium for Mercedes in P3, ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton.

The McLarens of Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo finished 5th and 6th, respectively, for the team’s best day of 2022 so far. They were ahead of Esteban Ocon, Valtteri Bottas and Pierre Gasly, while Alex Albon scored the Williams team’s first point of the season to round out the points.

Leclerc and Ferrari the class of the field in Australia

Leclerc had won in Bahrain and been a strong P2 in Saudi Arabia, almost holding off Verstappen to win in Jeddah.

But in those races it was a really even fight with Red Bull and Verstappen - a genuine duel. Here, apart from one brief scare, there was only one driver in the fight for the win today.

Leclerc led from the start and seemed able to pull away at will. He led Verstappen by almost 10 seconds, a huge distance in modern Formula 1 and the era of tyre management, and then was able to rebuild a gap again after the safety car for Vettel’s crash.

The only alarm came when he ran wide at the restart after the Vettel incident, allowing Verstappen a run at him. But, using the same expert car positioning we saw in Bahrain, he kept his cool and held the position before disappearing off down the road.

Leclerc has a 37-point lead in the championship over 2nd-placed Russell. But it will be the 46 points he has over 5th-placed Verstappen that will particularly thrill him. There is still a long way to go but Leclerc and Ferrari look the real deal.

It certainly made up for a rough weekend for Sainz. He was down in 9th after a bad qualifying session, then compounded it with a poor start, and later spinning off after running wide while trying to pass the Haas of Mick Schumacher.

Leclerc can now look forward to Ferrari’s first home race of 2022, the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, on April 24 at Imola where he will again expect to be a contender for the win.

Formula 1 Drivers' Championship standings after Australia

More mechanical woe for Verstappen and Red Bull

It had been clear from the early laps of the race that this was a damage-limitation day for Verstappen in his bid to retain his championship.

He did not have the pace to match Leclerc as he struggled with tyre management and quickly settled into a distant P2. He was not quick enough to have a gap to the cars behind to pit and try an alternative strategy to Ferrari without coming out in traffic, so it was clearly a case of settling for the 18 points.

But that went out of the window at the start of Lap 39 when his Red Bull slowed suddenly at the end of the start-finish straight and it rolled to the side of the track with Verstappen reporting that he could “smell some strange fluid”.

Verstappen also retired with car issues in Bahrain and is now 46 points behind Leclerc. He and Red Bull will hope their tyre problems and lack of pace compared to Ferrari will have been track-specific and they can fight at the front again in Imola.

Teammate Perez was there to pick up the pieces as he took P2 with a fine drive. He recovered from a slow start and then losing places during the full-caution period to get back up the order with some fine overtakes.

MORE: Albon backs Verstappen to retain F1 crown in TSN exclusive

Hamilton frustration despite improved pace

It was a mixed day for seven-time world champion Hamilton. He ran 3rd in the opening laps in his Mercedes, and while not on the pace of Leclerc - in fairness, no one was - he could stay closer to the Red Bulls than at any point this season so far.

But he was unable to keep Perez’s Red Bull behind him, and then fell behind teammate Russell during the pit stops after the younger Brit was able to gain time by pitting during the safety car period following Vettel’s spin and contact with the wall on the exit of Turn 4.

Hamilton followed Russell to the flag in the final laps, closing in but never attempting an overtake. It was unclear if there were any team orders but Hamilton added intrigue by saying on his pit radio “you have put me in a difficult position”.

P3 is Russell’s first podium for Mercedes and the second of his career, after he was P2 for Williams in the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix.

Australian Grand Prix results

2022 F1 Australian Grand Prix as it happened: commentary and highlights

RACE FINISHES: Leclerc wins!! Dream day for the Ferrari man. Race victory and fastest lap for a maximum 26 points on a day when his most likely title rival Verstappen gets nothing.

Perez, Russell, Hamilton, Norris, Ricciardo, Ocon, Bottas, Gasly and Albon complete the top 10. Albon pits on the final lap but holds on for the final point!

Lap 56: Albon still hasn’t pitted. The rules are clear. You have to use two tyre compounds so the Williams must come in. He is seventh and will lose any chance of a points finish but I guess it was worth a gamble.

At the front it is as you were as Leclerc leads by 20 seconds from Perez with Russell and Hamilton next up.

Lap 51: Perez gives Red Bull a scare as he runs off and onto the grass at the final corner, but he rejoins and remains second, albeit now 16 seconds behind.

Gasly and Bottas pass Stroll and are now respectively ninth and tenth.

Lap 48: Ten to go and Leclerc is cruising to the fourth win of his career. 13.9 ahead of Perez. He also has fastest lap at moment so is on for 26 points, while Verstappen will of course get zero.

The top 10 is Leclerc, Perez, Russell, Hamilton, Norris, Ricciardo, Albon, Ocon, Stroll and Gasly.

Albon has to pit still, Stroll has a five-second penalty and Alonso and Magnussen are both charging on fresh tyres so plenty of fun still to be had.

Lap 45: The one person praying for another safety car period is Albon. He is seventh in his Williams but having not pitted yet he must stop in the final 13 laps or face disqualification. At present, with the 18 seconds usually lost for a stop he would drop to 17th and last of the cars still running.

Lap 42: Not unreasonably Perez is asking about Verstappen’s demise but is told by Red Bull “don’t worry”. He is 13 seconds behind Leclerc and second place looks the best he can do from here unless Ferrari have a reliability issue.

Meanwhile, Stroll has a five-second time penalty for weaving on the straight to keep Bottas behind him.

Lap 40: The Virtual Safety Car is out as marshals move Verstappen’s stricken car. Replays show him slowing suddenly at Turn 1. He complained on the radio to smelling “a weird fluid”.

That retirement leaves the order like this: Leclerc, Perez, Russell, Hamilton, Norris, Ricciardo, Albon, Ocon, Stroll and Gasly.

Lap 39: MAX VERSTAPPEN IS OUT!! A second DNF of the season in only the third race of the season for the world champion.

Lap 36: Russell is advised by Mercedes to allow Perez past for third spot if fighting him means he is risking damaging his tyres. After moaning “I don’t want to hear that” the Briton allows the Red Bull driver through at Turn 11. Perez is back up in the podium places. It has not been an easy afternoon for the Mexican but he has driven smartly. He is 11 seconds behind Leclerc at the front.

Lap 33: Martin Brundle on Sky Sports in the UK has made the valid point that the safety car periods and the improved speed of Mercedes has hurt Red Bull today. It has bunched the pack up and there is no real pit window for them to pit Verstappen if they wanted to try a two-stop strategy and try and force Leclerc to do something different.

Lap 31: Great overtake by Perez at Turn 3 on Lap 30 to take fourth from Alonso, whose tyres must be feeling very old now. Hamilton then passes the Spaniard at the start of Lap 31 and surely the Alpine driver needs to pit soon. At front Leclerc is dominant, already 3.2 seconds up on Verstappen.

Lap 28: Leclerc has survived his scare and is now already 2.1 seconds up the road again. We are halfway through and the top 10 is Leclerc, Verstappen, Russell, Alonso (not pitted yet), Perez, Hamilton, Magnussen (not pitted), Norris, Ricciardo and Albon (not pitted).

Lap 27: We are racing again! Leclerc makes a mess of the restart, running wide out of the final corner and he has to be very defensive to keep Verstappen behind him.

Lap 26: With possible reference to Abu Dhabi 2021, Hamilton sighs on the pit radio “I’m not having much luck with safety cars” as his team tell him he has lost track position to teammate Russell during this full course caution period. Plenty of time still for the Briton, who is sixth.

Lap 24: Safety car is out again! Vettel crashes on exit of Turn 4 after losing control of his Aston Martin as he ran over kerb. Leclerc will lose his sizeable lead as Verstappen can now close up again. The big winner is Russell who pits under the safety car full caution and leapfrogs both Perez and Hamilton and is now third. Alonso, who hasn’t pitted, is fourth in his Alpine.

Lap 23: Leclerc pits from the lead and he retains the lead after a 2.7 seconds stop. Hamilton also pits and he leapfrogs Perez and is ahead of the Red Bull but that doesn’t last long as the Mexican bravely passes him at Turn 9.

Lap 21: Well this wasn’t in the script. Red Bull are badly struggling with their tyres as Perez is slipping and sliding and he has to hold off a serious lunge from Hamilton at T3. He survives to hold position and pits at the end of the lap. But Red Bull’s early pit stops will hurt them later on so a Mercedes podium is now suddenly a possibility.

Lap 19: Verstappen pits. The Dutchman is 9.1 seconds behind Leclerc and finally gets rid of those struggling medium tyres. He comes out in seventh and this feels like a damage limitation, take second spot and hope for better later on in the season, then an attempt to win today.

Lap 17: Behind the front three it is Hamilton leading the best of the rest fight in fourth. The Mercedes is no match for Red Bull or Ferrari but he is almost two seconds ahead of teammate George Russell, with the two McLarens of Norris and Daniel Ricciardo close behind in sixth and seventh.

Lap 15: This is a headache for Red Bull. Verstappen is dropping ground fast to Leclerc and it is now 6.5 seconds the gap. The world champion is struggling with his tyres but it is too early for an one-stop strategy to work. It is Leclerc, Verstappen, Perez, Hamilton, Russell and Norris as your top six.

Lap 12: Verstappen complains his front left tyre is “completely grained” and it shows in the lap times as he is dramatically losing ground to Leclerc. He has gone from 1.5 to 4.2 seconds in quick time and his victory hopes are in trouble.

Lap 10: Leclerc has a 1.4 seconds lead over Verstappen as Perez gets the job done and lunges past Hamilton at Turn 3 on Lap 10 to get third place. He is six seconds down on Leclerc but he can still be a factor on race tactics from there so it it still game on for Red Bull.

Lap 7: We are racing again. Leclerc got a little out of shape coming out of final turn but he still holds lead from Verstappen while Red Bull will be hoping Perez can find a way past Hamilton quickly to get to third so he can still be a factor in the strategic fight at the front.

Lap 4: So we can take stock while the marshals remove Sainz’s car. The top 10 is Leclerc, Verstappen, Hamilton, Perez, Russell, Norris, Ricciardo, Ocon, Gasly and Alonso. Aston Martin have pitted Stroll behind the safety car - that is unlikely to make to much of an impact at the front but could possibly move the Canadian up the order in the midfield later on.

Lap 2: Sainz is out! An awful day for the Ferrari driver. He runs wide trying to pass Mick Schumacher’s Haas for 13th place and he spins into the gravel at Turn 9. The Safety Car is out to allow the Spaniard’s car to be rescued from the gravel.

RACE START: We are go! Leclerc holds on to the lead from Verstappen but the big winner is Hamilton who makes up two places to get up to third in his Mercedes. Perez had made a good start from third but found his way blocked at Turn 1 and lost momentum allowing Hamilton through. Sainz has had an awful start, dropping down to 14th, five places dropped on the first lap.

2 minutes to race start: The cars all leave the grid for the final parade lap before the 58 laps of action in Melbourne gets underway. No signs of any issues for any of the drivers so it should be all 20 forming up for the run to Turn 1.

10 minutes to race start: UK TV viewers are being shown on Sky Sports replays of previous crashes and incidents at the start of past Australian Grand Prix. The 2002 one, where Ralf Schumacher vaulted over the top of Rubens Barrichello’s Ferrari on the way to Turn 1, is especially brutal. Albert Park is a street track that is very fast but with minimal run-off areas in places. Hopefully the 20 drivers can provide an entertaining but safe 90 minutes or so entertainment today.

15 minutes to race start: After two red flag incidents in qualifying as Lance Stroll and Nicholas Latifi had a spectacular coming together and then Fernando Alonso crashed, the chances of a safety car period in the race is very likely. There have been one in both the previous races this season in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia and it does have the chance to change the course of the event so the team strategists will be wary.

25 minutes to race start: Lando Norris gave McLaren a welcome boost after a tough start to the season with fourth place in qualifying. But the Briton is being realistic on where his race hopes are. The Briton told Sky Sports he does not believe he can fight with the Ferrari or Red Bull cars. “They are a bit up the road from us,” he said. “Our fight today is with the Mercedes.”

35 minutes to race start: Leclerc’s pole position on Saturday was Ferrari’s first in Melbourne since Kimi Raikkonen started there in 2007. The positive omen for the Italian team to come from that is the Finn not only went on to win the race that day but he would also go on to win the title that year, the last time Ferrari had a drivers' world champion.

Meanwhile, the cars are now heading on track to complete their last-minute preparations before they head to the grid.

45 minutes to race start: The cars will start leaving their garages in five minutes to head towards the grid to prepare for the third round of the season. To put in context how dominant Lewis Hamilton has been in recent years this is the first time since 2013 that the seven-time world champion will not be on pole position in Melbourne.

Fifth looked as good as he could realistically get in Saturday’s qualifying with the Mercedes no match whatsoever either in the corners or on the straights for either Ferrari or Red Bull. Hamilton’s only hope realistically of a podium result in the race is for the cars in front to hit trouble as he does not have the raw pace to be a challenger in his own right.

1 hour to race start: Hello and welcome to Sporting News' live coverage of the 2022 Australian Grand Prix!

Leclerc starts on pole position, but the early championship leader will have to be wary of defending champion Verstappen in P2. This promises to be another exciting race in an already-captivating season.

Formula 1 starting grid for 2022 Australian Grand Prix

How to watch Formula 1 in the United Kingdom

• TV channel: Sky Sports F1
• Live stream: NOW TV
  
  

Viewers located in the United Kingdom can catch all F1 action on Sky Sports F1, the dedicated F1 channel. For viewers planning to live stream F1 in 2022, you can purchase a Sky Sports Pass on NOW TV.

How to watch Formula 1 in the United States

• TV channel: ESPN/ESPN Deportes
• Live stream: fuboTV/ESPN+
  
  

The ESPN family of networks will broadcast all 2022 F1 races in the United States using Sky Sports' feed, with select races airing on ABC throughout the season.

ESPN Deportes serves as the exclusive Spanish-language home for all 2022 F1 races in the U.S.

How to watch Formula 1 in Canada

• TV channel: TSN (English); RDS (French)
• Live stream: TSN Direct
  
  

For fans in Canada, TSN will carry the English telecast of races. For those looking for the French broadcast, RDS will have you covered.

Races can also be streamed via TSN’s streaming service, TSN Direct.

How to watch Formula 1 in Australia

• TV channel: Fox Sports; Channel 10
• Live stream: Kayo
  
  

Fox Sports will carry all races in Australia, with Channel 10 broadcasting the Australian GP on Channel 10.

Source: https://www.sportingnews.com/us/f1/news/2022-f1-australian-grand-prix-live-race-updates-commentary-and-highlights-albert-park/omyp7yqx60xsktqdedksvioh