2023 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix highlights

In a highly dramatic race, AMF1 secured top-four finishes with both cars at Albert Park Circuit, with Fernando fighting his way onto the podium for the third race in succession and Lance coming home in fourth place – his best result with AMF1 to date.

In a highly chaotic race, which featured an unprecedented three red flags, Fernando and Lance fought their way through to finish third and fourth at Albert Park Circuit.

Fernando challenged for second place behind Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton for much of the race before the second red flag came out. On the subsequent restart, he was tipped into a spin by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.

However, as the third and final red flag was called before the field had passed the first sector marker, the result from the previous lap – minus any eliminated cars – was used for a one-lap restart behind the Safety Car to the finish. This meant Fernando came through to take his third podium finish in succession.

Sainz was penalised for the collision, which benefitted Lance, who had hustled for a top-five finish all afternoon. Despite running into the gravel at Turn Three on the second restart when battling with Sainz, Lance could retake his position due to the red flag procedure and took fourth after Sainz’s penalty – his best result with AMF1 to date.

After the race, Fernando, Lance and Mike described all the emotions of a frantic afternoon at Albert Park…

Fernando Alonso

It was a rollercoaster of emotions today with the red flags and incidents. It was probably my craziest race here in Melbourne, but it’s great to come away with another podium.

There were many things going on all afternoon, and we had an exciting battle with Lewis for the second. The car’s pace was good, and we kept up the pressure on Lewis, but he did a good job and didn’t really make any mistakes.

On the contact with Carlos after the restart, I’m sure he didn’t mean to do it, so I think the penalty for him was quite harsh in the end. We must be pleased with this start to the season and three podiums in as many races.

Lance Stroll

We should be pleased with the result we’ve come away with today: third and fourth are great for the team. It was a heavily disrupted race with red flags and a few big accidents, and neither Fernando nor I managed to stay clear of the drama.

I had some contact on the first lap, but we ran well until the first red flag was thrown. As we’ve seen across the weekend, it takes a while for the tyres to get up to temperature here, and so on the second restart, I locked up at turn three and ended up in the gravel.

Thankfully, the red flag had been waved before that point, and I could retake my position for the final restart. This sport is a rollercoaster of emotions sometimes! Overall, we’ve come away from a chaotic race with a solid haul of points for the team, and to be second in the Constructors’ Championship after three races is very positive.

Mike Krack

What a race! There was just about everything you could imagine this afternoon, so to come away with third and fourth places – and 27 points – is a brilliant reward for the team.

It was not an easy race to navigate, with the early red flag emphasising managing the Hard tyres. Almost everyone was trying to run until the end, and it was very close throughout the top ten. Fernando stayed close to Lewis, but with a similar race pace, we could not get close enough to challenge for a second.

Lance raced hard all afternoon, survived battles, and looked after the tyres excellently. Then there was the chaotic restart, and I have to say it was a relief to see the starting order reinstated. I know some drivers and teams really lost out in the mayhem, but we got a bit lucky with both cars being largely undamaged, allowing us to finish the race under the Safety Car.

Big congratulations and thanks to the whole team at Silverstone and here at the track for another strong and faultless performance with both cars and our third podium of the year. Today we celebrate and enjoy this result, but tomorrow our attention turns to the next race in Baku.

Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team best pictures:

portrait, Albert Park Circuit, GP2303a, F1, GP, Australia
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin F1 Team with fans

portrait, Albert Park Circuit, GP2303a, F1, GP, Australia
Mike Krack, Team Principal, Aston Martin F1 Team

Portrait, Helmets, Albert Park Circuit, GP2303a, F1, GP, Australia
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin F1 Team

Portrait, Podium, TS-Live, Albert Park Circuit, GP2303a, F1, GP, Australia
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin F1 Team, 3rd position, waves from the podium

Portrait, Albert Park Circuit, GP2303a, F1, GP
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin F1 Team in the Press Conference

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Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR23

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