The 2023 Australian GP was chaotic, to say the least, but it ended with Max Verstappen retaining his pole position to take his second win of the year. Lewis Hamilton finished second, ahead of long-time rival Fernando Alonso, but will this result stand?
Even though the race is over, there is still controversy surrounding the race restart that caused mayhem on lap 57. On social media, fans began to post pictures and point out Verstappen’s position in the grid ahead of the restart. Verstappen’s RB19 appears to be slightly ahead of the white line, and Hamilton fans are livid that the race officials didn’t notice this.
Hamilton fans are protesting on social media in numbers and are calling for Verstappen to be penalized for having an incorrect starting position. So far, the FIA hasn’t started any investigation on this matter, but if they do find Verstappen guilty, he may lose out on his win.
Will Lewis Hamilton get his first win since 2021?
Hamilton has not won a race in F1 since the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP. The seven-time world champion and his fans are absolutely desperate for a win and he came incredibly close today. Verstappen will hold on to his P1 for now.
Mercedes too hasn’t made any statement regarding making a protest against Verstappen’s starting position. It is unlikely that this slipped under the radar, and the stewards may have noted it and discounted any need of handing over a penalty.
Drivers struggling to put their cars in the correct positions
In the opening two races of the 2023 season, we saw two drivers getting penalized for not being able to place their cars correctly ahead of the start of a race. Esteban Ocon and Alonso were both given five-second time penalties in Bahrain and Jeddah respectively, for the same.
Ahead of the race in Albert Park on Sunday, officials increased the size of the grid line by 20 cm, so that drivers can slot their cars more easily. However, it appears that Verstappen made the mistake Ocon and Alonso made before.
Fans are eagerly waiting for the FIA to make a statement about Verstappen’s potential time penalty.
Toto Wolff clears the air
In an interview with Sky Germany after the culmination of the race, team principal Wolff shared his thoughts on the matter. The Austrian insisted that there was nothing wrong with Verstappen’s starting position.
Wolff said that everything about the restart was correct. Even though it appeared that Verstappen was outside, the 25-year-old was on it.
