F1 Australian Grand Prix LIVE! Race result, latest news and updates as Leclerc wins third GP of 2022

F1 Australian Grand Prix - LIVE!

Charles Leclerc completed a dominant weekend in his Ferrari after converting his pole position into a comprehensive triumph in the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday.

Leclerc was able to hold off Red Bull rival Max Verstappen during the opening laps and defended well mid-race under safety car conditions to pull away for a decisive 20.524-second victory.

Sergio Perez overcame a slow start to take second ahead of the Mercedes' combination of George Russell, who secured his first podium finish for the season, and Lewis Hamilton. McLaren pair Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo finished fifth and sixth with Alex Albon claiming a maiden point for Williams.

Verstappen, the world champion, endured another frustrating race when a mechanical failure ended his hopes while he was running second 39 laps into the 58-lap race.

"The car was incredible today. Really. What a race. What a day," Leclerc said after the race.

Race highlights

• LIGHTS OUT! Hamilton takes third

• SAFETY CAR! Sainz spins out

• SAFETY CAR! Vettel crashes amid the first stops

• VSC! Verstappen pulls up with engine issue

• Leclerc wins! Dominant display from Ferrari

Race report

09:48 , Marc Mayo

That wraps up our coverage of the Australian Grand Prix, thanks for joining us and we’ll be back in a fortnight’s time to go again at Imola.

Can anyone stop Charles Leclerc at Ferrari’s home circuit?

Recap today’s race with Matt’s report.

Big disappointment for Max Verstappen today

09:40 , Marc Mayo

The reigning world champion suffered his second retirement of the campaign - which he described as “unacceptable”.

Read the full story.

Race recap: Charles Leclerc takes the win

09:31 , Marc Mayo

Race recap: Disaster for Max Verstappen

09:26 , Marc Mayo

Race recap: Sebastian Vettel brings out the safety car

09:16 , Marc Mayo

Race recap: An early DNF for Carlos Sainz

09:10 , Marc Mayo

Race recap: How it all began

09:04 , Marc Mayo

09:00 , Marc Mayo

08:55 , Marc Mayo

Lewis Hamilton paid tribute to George Russell’s performance in Melbourne today, while explaining why he could not challenge for his teammate’s spot on the podium.

Read the full story.

Not a good day for Carlos Sainz

08:50 , Marc Mayo

Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto reacts

08:45 , Marc Mayo

“They are free to fight, that’s important for us and for Carlos,” he says on his two drivers’ status in the team.

“I think he will come back and I will enjoy them battling for position and for the championship.

“[Charles] is focused now, driving really well. His tyre management has been very good and a big change from his first season in F1. Not only was he first today but he was capable of managing the tyres.”

He says he won’t do a shoey...

When in Rome...

08:39 , Marc Mayo

Your points winners today

08:32 , Marc Mayo

08:25 , Marc Mayo

George Russell has put himself second in the championship with today’s podium.

Check out the latest standings.

George Russell gives his take on the race

08:21 , Marc Mayo

“It’s a credit back to everybody as Brackley and Brixworth - it doesn’t matter how fast your car is if you’re not there at the end to pick up the pieces,” the Brit tells Sky Sports.

“This weekend we were probably the fifth-fastest team behind McLaren and Alpine, yet here we are standing with P3. I only just realised I’m P2 in the Championship, which is just crazy to think [about].

“So we’ve got to be really proud of the job we’ve done so far with the lack of performance we’ve had. We believe we can get there but it’s not going to happen overnight and it will be a number of races before we close the gap.”

Here is Lewis Hamilton...

08:13 , Marc Mayo

“It’s a great result, this weekend we’ve had so many difficult moments with the car so to get ourselves fifth and sixth in qualifying then progress like we have, with the reliablity, we definitiely didn’t expect third and fourth,” he says.

“George did a great job today. I got to see a bit of the battle of him racing Perez and I wish I could have been in it - but nonetheless we take the points and keep pushing.

“I couldn’t fight for third because the engine was overheating, so I had to back off. But we’ve bagged as many points as we could as a team, so that’s great.”

Lando Norris up next

08:08 , Marc Mayo

“Why’s it so black here, is that my brake dust?” the McLaren driver cheekily asks his teammate as he checks out his race suit.

“I want to be optimistic but the car’s exactly the same, it is [track specific],” he adds. “We’ve made some small steps but the car works very well here.”

Daniel Ricciardo reacts

08:06 , Marc Mayo

“The crowd was in full force, hopefully they enjoyed it and that’s the main thing,” he tells Sky Sports. “It’s better, after the first two weekends I was still quite upbeat.

“I know it can turn around so quickly and we’re still trying to get on top of the car. I was aware we could have a weekend like this and I’m happy we could do it here.”

A very useful points haul for McLaren

07:59 , Marc Mayo

They go fourth in the Constructors’ Championship.

Check out the latest standings.

Max Verstappen reacts

07:55 , Marc Mayo

07:51 , Marc Mayo

Christian Horner tells F1 he does not believe the issue with Max Verstappen’s Red Bull was necessarily engine related, but perhaps a fuel issue - which could be similar to the one which wiped him out in Bahrain...

The champagne!

07:48 , Marc Mayo

Leclerc soaks in the Monaco and Italian national anthems before the bubbly flows on the podium.

Here is Charles Leclerc...

07:42 , Marc Mayo

“In F1 it’s the first [win] where we controlled a gap, what a car and we were extremely strong,” he says. “Tyres felt great from first to last lap and I’m just so happy.

“We are only at the third race so its difficult to think about the championship but we have a strong, reliable car so if it continues like this we will have chances at the championship - which makes me smile.”

Sergio Perez reacts

07:40 , Marc Mayo

“The car was a bit tricky,” he admits. “My first stint was very poor but on the Hard, with the safety car we were a bit lucky. It’s a good result but unfortunately we lost Max. We’ve been a bit unlucky in the first three races.”

First up: George Russell

07:39 , Marc Mayo

“We got a little bit lucky but we take it and there’s so much hard work going on back at base, to be on the podium is special,” he says.

“We’re never gonna give up, we were a long way behind our rivals but here we are on the podium. I think it’s gonna take some time to fight them, but if anyone can Mercedes can.”

Leclerc completes the set!

07:35 , Marc Mayo

07:34 , Marc Mayo

Albon did snatch a point for Williams! A great performance from him and his team after going right to the final lap on his initial Hard tyres.

07:32 , Marc Mayo

It’s a podium for Russell in the Mercedes, as Hamilton trails his teammate home before the papaya duo of Norris and Ricciardo take the home fans’ adulation in fifth and sixth.

LECLERC WINS!

07:31 , Marc Mayo

A dominant performance from the Ferrari!

07:30 , Marc Mayo

Perez asks his team radio “are you still awake?” as he cruises to the finish - “jet lag kicking in” is the reply.

Albon pits to release Ocon into seventh.

07:29 , Marc Mayo

Lap 57/58: We look to be avoiding any late drama out on track as Bottas jumps Gasly for ninth after the AlphaTauri runs wide.

07:26 , Marc Mayo

Alonso pits to drop him back to 17th - a real case of what might have been for the Alpine which has had pace all weekend with Ocon in eighth. The Frenchman will jump Albon shortly when Williams finally pit him for the first time.

07:25 , Marc Mayo

Lap 54/58: The timing sheets show a whopping 20-second advantage for Leclerc in first with Perez 3.3 clear of Russell, who is only just over a second clear of Hamilton before a 18-second lead over Norris.

Ferrari tell Leclerc to hold off on any further fastest lap attempts as traffic comes up for the leader.

07:22 , Marc Mayo

Hamilton is closing in on Russell, with DRS soon to be a factor in a very intriguing battle for third between new teammates.

F1 correspondent Matt Majendie

07:19 , Marc Mayo

Mika Hakkinen was the last driver to retire from two of the first three races of the season to then go on to win the world title. That was all the way back in 1999. Max Verstappen will be hoping history repeats itself.

Ten laps to go!

07:18 , Marc Mayo

For those just joining us, we lost Sainz on lap one to a spin, although the Ferrari driver had already lost places from a poor position.

Leclerc led from the start as Hamilton briefly took third, in a good tussle with Perez. Verstappen’s impact on Leclerc after a second safety car, due to Vettel’s smash, was all too limited before the Dutchman pulled up with an engine issue.

That leaves us with Leclerc well ahead, and Perez second ahead of Russell after the Brit benefited from pitting under the safety car.

07:13 , Marc Mayo

Lap 46/58: Some surprise points on the horizon for Williams, as Albon sits seventh and seven seconds clear of those in a train of cars fighting for ninth.

Stroll is holding off Gasly with Bottas, Alonso and Schumacher following.

At the front, Leclerc has a 13-second lead.

07:10 , Marc Mayo

A five-second time penalty for Stroll due to weaving on the straight. He’s in ninth as things stand as Aston Martin look to salvage what has been a poor weekend.

07:09 , Marc Mayo

Lap 41/58: We’re back underway with no full safety car needed, and Leclerc even more set for the victory now.

The Ferrari has a 12-second lead over Perez, ahead of the two Mercedes and McLarens. The Mexican is told by team radio Verstappen’s problem was “not relevant” for his car.

VERSTAPPEN IS OUT!

07:05 , Marc Mayo

An engine issue for the Red Bull and we have a Virtual Safety Car.

Disaster for the world champion who tells team radio he smelt something off his car before having to pull over, and the fire extinguishers are out to douse his stricken vehicle.

Nightmare for Red Bull!

07:03 , Marc Mayo

Lap 39/58: Perez gets the job done on Russell as Red Bull look for a double-podium finish, which would be a strong end to a difficult weekend for them.

And Verstappen then gets a couple of fastest laps in, albeit from seven seconds back.

F1 correspondent Matt Majendie

07:01 , Marc Mayo

It remains to be seen if this is indicative of an upturn for the switch to the European leg of the season or simply down to the idiosyncrasies of Albert Park, but the Mercedes-powered cars are faring much better in Melbourne than anticipated. Both McLarens are currently in the points while the works cars of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton sit third and fifth respectively in this race.

06:55 , Marc Mayo

Fastest lap for Leclerc with a 1:22.450 - he now leads Verstappen by 3.6 seconds on fresher tyres.

The big battles for the coming laps will be Perez attempting to hunt down Russell while Hamilton chases the Red Bull. Norris and Ricciardo are also fighting Magnussen for seventh, with neither the Dane nor Alonso in front having pitted.

06:52 , Marc Mayo

Lap 31/58: Alonso is fighting hard on old Hard tyres but has to relinquish fourth place to Perez during the two DRS zones. Hamilton is then able to cruise past his former teammate.

F1 correspondent Matt Majendie

06:51 , Marc Mayo

At the halfway point of the race, the wished-for overtaking at Albert Park, which had been targeted with all the track changes, hasn't wholly materialised.

The aftermath of the latest safety car nearly allows Max Verstappen to nearly get past Charles Leclerc but this now has the makings of another Leclerc-Verstappen procession as had been the case earlier in the race.

06:50 , Marc Mayo

There is not a driver in the top nine who is focusing on holding position. Even Magnussen fancies his chances on Hamilton, as does Alonso on Russell with the Mercedes man pressing Verstappen amid his fight with Leclerc.

But the world championship leader may have done enough for the time being, as he builds out a two-second gap in double-quick time.

Restart!

06:47 , Marc Mayo

Lap 27/58: For the second time today, Leclerc leads off after a safety car and Verstappen gets a good run on the Ferrari - who manages to hold his rival off!

And Russell is even having a look at Verstappen! Amazingly, it is still as you were...

Safety car in this lap

06:45 , Marc Mayo

The sun is finally rising in the UK as it continues to bathe Melbourne - so it’s a perfect time for anyone just waking up to follow the race!

06:43 , Marc Mayo

Here is how we stand ahead of the restart: Leclerc leads Verstappen with Russell third and Alonso, who has not stopped, fourth. Perez took fifth from Hamilton before Magnussen, yet to stop, ahead of Norris and Ricciardo in the McLarens.

Safety car!

06:39 , Marc Mayo

Vettel lost control on the exit of Turn 4 and whacked the barrier, losing his nose before coming to a halt. An awful first weekend of the season for the German.

Before the crash, Perez had retaken third off Hamilton with Russell able to pit under the safety car and up to third!

06:38 , Marc Mayo

Very nice stops for both McLarens and Albon almost collects Ricciardo after the Aussie leaves the pits. That’s one way to make yourself rather unpopular in these parts!

The Hards switch on and Ricciardo escapes, as Leclerc and Hamilton make their stops. No dramas for either.

It’s a pretty comfortable lead over Perez for Hamilton as the Brit returns to track...

F1 correspondent Matt Majendie

06:35 , Marc Mayo

Who’d have predicted Lewis Hamilton being all over the back of the Red Bull of Sergio Perez in this race battling for second place in this race?

For all Mercedes’ issues, their cars are looking the best they have all season. Is another podium possible for the seven-time world champion?

06:34 , Marc Mayo

Lap 21/58: The race for third is back on!

Hamilton has reined in Perez and is within DRS territory for a move into Turn 1 - before the Mexican pits.

Is that a Mercedes fightback we’re witnessing?

Verstappen pits

06:32 , Marc Mayo

It’s a clean 2.9 second-stop for the world champion as the Hards go on, and he briefly has Alonso on his back as he comes out before pulling away.

06:30 , Marc Mayo

Lap 18/58: It’s all happening around Tsunoda, who defends P11 from Bottas as the Finn locks up before he makes the move stick. Magnussen then almost ends up in the back of the AlphaTauri before taking evasive action as he went into the back chicane.

Meanwhile, a rather ominous eight-second lead for Leclerc over Verstappen at the front... In fact, Perez is failing to build out a substantial lead on Hamilton.

06:27 , Marc Mayo

The Mediums are lasting a bit longer than previously predicted with both Leclerc and Norris told over their team radio to “plus five” to their strategy. That is likely due to the earlier safety car keeping their tyres neat.

06:26 , Marc Mayo

Lap 15/58: Keep an eye on Alonso for later on with the fast Alpine tenth but on the Hards as he keeps touch with Gasly, on a quicker tyre, in front.

He will hope to join the battle for fourth at some point as Hamilton is followed very closely by Russell and the McLaren pair of Norris and Ricciardo.

F1 correspondent Matt Majendie

06:24 , Marc Mayo

Sebastian Vettel might have been wishing he was still isolating at home. The four-time world champion missed the opening two races of the season because of Covid but has struggled throughout his opening race weekend of 2022.

The Aston Martin looks a pig of a car currently - not exactly the outcome anticipated from a team with big ambitions to be pushing at the front of the grid in the future and a big budget behind it.

06:23 , Marc Mayo

Verstappen tells Red Bull team radio that his “left front is completely grained” after a lock-up at the final corner.

There is a four-second gap between the Dutchman and leader Leclerc...

06:22 , Marc Mayo

Lap 12/58: Vettel is the next driver to take a trip across the gravel at Turn 11 - can’t blame a man for wanting some time on an Aussie beach in this sort of weather.

“So difficult to judge the car for braking,” he tells team radio as he carries on.

06:20 , Marc Mayo

Perez makes the move! Into Turn 3 and with DRS on his back, the Mexican glides down the inside and takes third place off Hamilton.

06:19 , Marc Mayo

Lap 9/58: There is already a gap forming between Hamilton and Verstappen of almost three seconds, which means Perez has to get around the Mercedes as soon as possible to maintain his hopes of joining his teammate in pushing Leclerc.

F1 correspondent Matt Majendie

06:16 , Marc Mayo

Carlos Sainz makes his way back to the pitlane. Unlike Sebastian Vettel following his practice mishap on Friday, he doesn't take controls of the scooter himself, hopping on the back as a passenger back to the Ferrari garage.

What a horror weekend for the Spaniard - feels like nothing went his way from the moment he landed in Australia. His run of podiums, alas, is at an end.

Green flag!

06:15 , Marc Mayo

Lap 7/58: Leclerc storms down the start/finish straight with Verstappen unable to make a move at Turn 1, and Hamilton holds onto third as well. The Red Bulls will get DRS soon.

F1 correspondent Matt Majendie

06:14 , Marc Mayo

Formula 1 bosses and Australian Grand Prix organisers have done their utmost to improve the show at this year's race.

Two years since the race was scrapped because of Covid with the entire Formula 1 paddock already converged on Melbourne, in the intervening time the circuit has been reconfigured and three DRS zones set up for the race, all aimed at trying to improve the spectacle at a circuit where overtaking's not always been a stand-out feature.

Safety car in this lap

06:13 , Marc Mayo

Leclerc will lead Verstappen at the restart with Perez aiming to quickly grab third back off Hamilton.

06:11 , Marc Mayo

Lap 4/58: Stroll, who had started on the Hards along with a couple of other backmarkers, pits for Mediums and then comes back in the next lap for Hards...

Is that the Aston Martin playing a bit of a game to ensure he can try to end the race on the Hards while also completing his mandatory tyre change?

Safety car

06:08 , Marc Mayo

A full safety car will come out as the marshalls deal with the stricken Ferrari.

SAINZ SPINS

06:06 , Marc Mayo

Disaster for the Ferrari! The Spaniard just went in too hot after the back straight and lost the back end, fortunately he didn’t collect anyone as he headed into the gravel.

His race is over and that’s a Virtual Safety Car.

06:05 , Marc Mayo

Sainz is getting really bogged down and is 14th! He’s started on the Hards, along with Alonso who is stuck in 10th.

At the front, Leclerc has a six-tenths advantage over Verstappen with a bit of a gap back to Hamilton.

It’s then Perez, Russell, Norris and Ricciardo to complete the top seven.

AWAY WE GO!

06:03 , Marc Mayo

Leclerc gets away well to lead Verstappen and Hamilton takes third!

A clean first few corners around Albert Park.

The formation lap gets underway...

06:00 , Marc Mayo

Nothing to wake you up like the blast of an F1 engine! Lights out is almost upon us...

Strategy call

05:58 , Marc Mayo

The softest tyre F1 has, the C5, is available today but not thought to be of much use in race conditions.

Instead, the C3 Medium tyre is expected to be the prime starting tyre with a one-stop onto the Hards tipped for the best results.

Five minute warning!

05:54 , Marc Mayo

Lewis Hamilton has been spotted popping his helmet on with his usual array of earrings - defying a race director’s reiteration of a rule created in 2004 which sparked a bit of pre-weekend discussion.

Read the full story.

Minor issues for Red Bull earlier on

05:49 , Marc Mayo

Max Verstappen is content that any gremlins in the Red Bull have been dealt with after some frantic work on his car before it went to the grid. A leak is said to have been the issue.

“We were just checking some things to see if they were not correct, but we’ve fixed everything so it should be okay,” says the Dutchman.

Qualifying recap

05:46 , Marc Mayo

As the national anthem and pre-race formalities continue in the Australian afternoon, catch up on how it all went down yesterday.

Read the full story.

Daniel Ricciardo up next

05:43 , Marc Mayo

“We didn’t do massive long runs on Friday but it’s been decent all weekend,” he says of his hopes from seventh.

On the atmosphere, the Aussie simply states: “It’s nuts.”

Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto previews the race

05:39 , Marc Mayo

“The strategy, let’s see how the race will evolve,” he tells Sky Sports. “It’s important to see how the tyres behave in terms of degradation.

“It will be very difficult, the two [Red Bulls] with strategy and are very fast. P4 is not impossible [for Carlos Sainz], here we can get a lot of safety cars and we have to be ready.”

Lando Norris not too optimistic

05:35 , Marc Mayo

When asked if he can catch the Red Bull and Ferrari cars ahead, he tells Sky Sports: “I wish I could say yes but they’re a bit up the road to us.

“Even Ferando and the Alpines are a step ahead of us too so we’ll be racing the Mercedes.”

He starts fourth.

05:33 , Marc Mayo

A case of damage limitation for Mercedes today, in a sense.

With both their drivers in the top six, it is not quite as dramatically bad as some have made out for the reigning Constructors’ champions - with no significant upgrades to their car this weekend.

But their standards are arguably the highest on the grid!

Read the full story.

Just over half an hour until lights out!

05:27 , Marc Mayo

To the grid!

05:21 , Marc Mayo

The drivers hop in their cars to make their way to the grid, in what is their first chance to get behind the wheel today.

63 starts for No63

05:20 , Marc Mayo

George Russell starts sixth on the grid after being outqualified by teammate Lewis Hamilton yesterday - will he fancy a move down the inside into Turn 1?

The two Red Bull racers have plenty of support in the stands today

05:15 , Marc Mayo

Stroll blamed for qualy crash

05:10 , Marc Mayo

Lance Stroll was handed a three-place grid penalty last night for causing the crash at the end of Q1 with Nicholas Latifi.

Lights out in under an hour!

05:06 , Marc Mayo

What can Ricciardo pull out today?

05:02 , Marc Mayo

McLaren’s Aussie racer Daniel Ricciardo is yet to score a point this season and has never secured a podium finish in Melbourne - having had his second place in 2014 wiped out by a fuel breach.

He starts seventh on the grid.

04:57 , Marc Mayo

No Formula 2 in Australia which meant the warm-up race was entrusted with the Supercars at Albert Park.

04:52 , Marc Mayo

Max Verstappen was left bitterly frustrated after being pipped to pole position by title rival Charles Leclerc for the second time in three races in 2022.

“I didn’t really feel good in the car the whole weekend so far,” he declared yesterday.

“I think there’s not been one lap where I actually felt confident, a bit of a struggle. Of course second is still a good result, but just not feeling that great to go to the limit. We’ll try to analyse it.”

Read the full story.

No surprise who the biggest attraction is for the locals

04:47 , Marc Mayo

Let’s hear from the championship leader

04:42 , Marc Mayo

“I’m feeling good, it’s going to be a very tricky race as always - but we’ve had the pace now we just need to finish the job,” says Charles Leclerc on the grid.

“I think the pace is there, with Max and Checo it’s going to be very close but they’ve got two cars against one because Carlos was unlucky yesterday. Hopefully he can come back soon and have a good race from there.”

The drivers’ parade is underway at Albert Park

04:34 , Marc Mayo

A selection of delightful classic Cobras for Lewis Hamilton and Co to hop aboard in the sunshine.

Fernando feeling a little worse for wear!

04:27 , Marc Mayo

Championship standings

04:24 , Marc Mayo

Click through to find out how the Drivers’ Championship and Constructors’ Championship stand going into the race with Charles Leclerc and Ferrari sitting pretty on top.

Weather update

04:19 , Marc Mayo

Pristine conditions for racing today with zero per cent chance of rain in Melbourne for the next few hours and the wind set to drop below 10mph, with the air temperature a crisp 26°C.

The starting grid

04:14 , Marc Mayo

How to watch

04:08 , Marc Mayo

TV channel: The race will be shown live on Sky Sports Main Event and F1, with coverage on the latter beginning at 4.30am.

Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers can tune in via the Sky Go app.

Highlights: Channel 4 will be airing full free-to-air race highlights at 3.05pm.

Rise and shine!

Saturday 9 April 2022 19:00 , Marc Mayo

Good morning race fans, the Australian Grand Prix is just hours away...

Welcome to Standard Sport’s live blog for the third race of the 2022 season after a thrilling pair of Grands Prix to kick off the new era in the sport.

Charles Leclerc is on pole, followed by Max Verstappen, so buckle up for all the build-up, track action and reaction!