Formula One: Australian Grand Prix - Bottas overtakes Hamilton to win season-opener

The Australian Grand Prix was dominated by Valtteri Bottas after the Finn overtook world champion team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

Photo from BBC Sport

Hamilton made a slow start from pole position, allowing Bottas to take the lead from the start and record the fastest lap, an achievement that is rewarded with a bonus point.
The Brit struggled to keep with his teammate, his main priority was holding on to second place as Red Bull's Max Verstappen challenged.

The Dutchman finished above both Ferrari drivers, Sebastian Vettel followed by Charles Leclerc. 

"Why are we so slow?" Vettel asked his team at two-thirds distance. "We don't know at the moment," came the reply.

The weekend began in mourning following the death of Charlie Whiting - F1 director and one of the most influential people in the sport.
The 66-year-old was due to officiate in Australia, he was the official race starter and oversaw all rules matters in F1.

Bottas dedicated the win to Whiting: "Thank you Charlie. This win is for Charlie and all his work in F1. He has done massive amounts, so thanks from all us drivers."

Photo from BBC Sport

2019 Australian Grand Prix Results

#		DRIVER	team	LAPS	TIME/RETIRED	PTS
C		V Bottas	MERCEDES	58	1:25:27.325	26
2		L Hamilton	MERCEDES	58	+20.886s	18
3		M Verstappen	RED BULL	58	+22.520s	15
4		S Vettel	FERRARI	58	+57.109s	12
5		C Leclerc	FERRARI	58	+58.230s	10
6		K Magnussen	HAAS	58	+87.156s	8
7		N Hulkenberg	RENAULT	57	+1 lap	6
8		K Räikkönen	ALFA ROMEO	57	+1 lap	4
9		L Stroll	RACING POINT	57	+1 lap	2
10		D Kvyat	TORO ROSSO	57	+1 lap	1
11		P Gasly	RED BULL	57	+1 lap	0
12		L Norris	MCLAREN	57	+1 lap	0
13		S Perez	RACING POINT	57	+1 lap	0
14		A Albon	TORO ROSSO	57	+1 lap	0
15		A Giovinazzi	ALFA ROMEO	57	+1 lap	0
16		G Russell	WILLIAMS	56	+2 laps	0
17		R Kubica	WILLIAMS	55	+3 laps	0
NC		R Grosjean	HAAS FERRARI	29	DNF	0
NC		D Ricciardo	RENAULT	28	DNF	0
NC		C Sainz Jr.	Mclaren	9	DNF	0

Formula One Driver's Championship Standings

#/Driver/Team/Points/Wins/Podiums
1/V Bottas/Mercedes/26/1/1
2/L Hamilton/Mercedes/18/0/1
3/M Verstappen/Red Bull/15/0/1
4/S Vettel/Ferrari/12/0/0
5/C Leclerc/Ferrari/10/0/0  
6/K Magnussen/Haas/8/0/0
7/N Hülkenberg/Renault/6/0/0
8/K Räikkönen/Alfa Romeo/4/0/0
9/L Stroll/Racing Point/2/0/0
10/D Kvyat/Toro Rosso/1/0/0
11/P Gasly/Red Bull/0/0/0
12/L Norris/McLaren/0/0/0
13/S Pérez/Racing Point/0/0/0
14/A Albon/Toro Rosso/0/0/0
15/A Giovinazzi/Alfa Romeo/0/0/0
16/G Russell/Williams/0/0/0
17/R Kubica/Williams/0/0/0
18/R Grosjean/Haas/0/0/0
19/D Ricciardo/Renault/0/0/0
20/C Sainz Jr./McLaren/0/0/0

2019 Races and Results
Australian Grand Prix
Melbourne, 15-17 March
1. Bottas, 2. Hamilton, 3. Verstappen

Bahrain Grand Prix
Sakhir, 29-31 March

Chinese Grand Prix
Shanghai, 12-14 April

Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Baku, 26-28 April

Spanish Grand Prix
Barcelona, 10-12 May

Monaco Grand Prix
Monte Carlo, 23, 25-26 May

Canadian Grand Prix
Montreal, 7-9 June

French Grand Prix
Le Castellet, 21-23 June

Austrian Grand Prix
Spielberg, 28-30 June

British Grand Prix
Silverstone, 12-14 July

German Grand Prix
Hockenheim, 26-28 July

Hungarian Grand Prix
Budapest, 2-4 August

Belgian Grand Prix
Spa-Francorchamps, 30 August-1 September

Italian Grand Prix
Monza, 6-8 September

Singapore Grand Prix
Marina Bay, 20-22 September

Russian Grand Prix
Sochi, 27-29 September

Japanese Grand Prix
Suzuka, 11-13 October

Mexican Grand Prix
Mexico City, 25-27 October

United States Grand Prix
Austin, 1-3 November

Brazilian Grand Prix
Sao Paulo, 15-17 November

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Yas Marina, 29 November-1 December

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