Lewis Hamilton Earns A Podium Finish At The Australian GP
Giancarlo Perlas April 2, 2023Lewis Hamilton made a strong comeback by finishing second at the Australian Grand Prix, earning his first podium of the 2023 Formula 1 season.
The seven-time world champion started third on the grid, and after passing Red Bull’s Max Verstappen on the inside of Turn 3, he briefly led the race. Along the way, the contest came between him and his teammate George Russell, but a pit stop under a safety car pushed him down the line.
Hamilton and Verstappen were able to change their tires without any time handicap and took advantage of the situation to gain a strong position. Verstappen eventually passed Hamilton on the way to Turn 9, but the Mercedes driver secured second place. Unfortunately, his fellow Mercedes driver, Russell, had to retire from the race due to a fire in his power unit. Nevertheless, the result marked the team’s best result for the 2023 season so far.
The podium finish definitely sparked hope for Hamilton as he believes that Mercedes can still catch up to the dominant force, Red Bull. However, the British driver acknowledged that the team needs to address their reliability issues, following Russell’s early elimination from the race.
The Briton also expressed his discomfort with the cockpit of the W14, which he believes is too far forward relative to the front wheels. Despite this, he was able to achieve a podium finish and thanked the team for their hard work.
The race was disrupted by three red flag stoppages, which helped Hamilton save his tires and secure his position. Hamilton had expressed concerns over his tire wear during the event, but the controversial deployment of the red flags worked in his favor.
Overall, Hamilton’s podium finish at the Australian GP is a positive step forward for the Mercedes team, and they will look to build on this momentum going into the next race.
