Wow what an absolute classic at Albert Park! I'm happy I stuck it out in the variable conditions where I had to take shelter at the Ford and then Toyota booth before the race began. It had everything - crashes, strategy, weather, skill, heartbreak, embarrassment, failure and jubilation. Or, as I like to put it, chaos, calamity, action and insanity. Melbourne delivered an absolute knockout of a race on an extraordinary weekend with a record crowd. Our passion for motorsport down here is incredible and I'm soo happy to have been a part of it.
Now lets talk about the race itself.
I was sitting in the Schumacher stand between turns 13 and 14 so I saw some madness right in front of me. Hadjar couldn't have started his career any worse by throwing it away on the formation lap. The start was delayed as a result. At 3:15, the cars did the formation lap again and we got a start. Unfortunately, Doohan bins it a few seconds later and the safety car comes out for the first time. During this period, Carlos Sainz crashes in front of me and retires from the race. What a disappointment. After a rocky start, the race got going and we had some green flag running on a drying track. Things settled down for a while but shortly after the majority of the field pitted for slicks, rain began to fall again and both McLarens were caught out, with Piastri going into the grass. The dream was over for our man but even so, the roar from the crowd as he got going again was immense. Bortoleto went off in front of me, Lawson crashed like Hadjar and Alonso forgot how to drive, sparking two more safety car periods in the process. Anyway with 3 laps to go Verstappen starts to close in on Norris and we suddenly have a battle for the win in the dying stages of the race. I thought Verstappen was going to make a dive at turn 11 on the last lap but he was too far back and Lando won. I won't be forgetting this race any time soon. Man of the match goes to Kimi Antonelli for making up 12 spots from 16th on debut. What a performance. Great results too for Albon, Hulkenberg and Stroll. Melbourne is the perfect place to start the F1 season.