Lewis Hamilton was left pleasantly surprised with his performance at the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, with the Mercedes driver joining Max Verstappen on the podium for the very first time this season. The Dutchman was a cut above the rest over the course of the 58-lap contest and deservedly took the chequered flag at the end of a chaotic race, with Hamilton crossing the line in second place ahead of Fernando Alonso in third.
The 38-year-old, who remains without a Grand Prix victory since winning in Saudi Arabia two years ago, battled with Verstappen on the opening lap and initially managed to get past his Red Bull rival with a full-blooded move before swapping positions again later in the race. Verstappen went on to aim a sour dig at Hamilton after the chequered flag, insisting that he was pushed off the circuit as the pair jostled for position on the exit of Turn Three at Albert Park.
“From my side, I just tried to avoid the contact,” said Verstappen when asked to run the rule over his first-lap duel with Hamilton.
“It’s quite clear in the rules what you’re allowed to do now in the outside, but clearly it’s not followed. But that’s okay, we had good pace and passed them anyway. It’s something for the next races to take into account.”
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