Max Verstappen takes the chequered flag

RED BULL driver Max Verstappen won the first Australian Grand Prix of his career today, Sunday, April 2. The reigning Dutch world champion started from pole position and took the chequered flag at Albert Park in Melbourne to extend his lead at the top of the championship to 15 points after three races.

Lewis Hamilton capped a tremendous weekend by bringing his Mercedes home in second place, ahead of Spain’s Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin. The former world champion now has three podiums in three races this season.

The race was filled with controversy, with three red flags and finishing under a safety car to fulfil FIA rules after a restart. The final positions though were taken from those that the drivers were in when the last restart occurred.

At that point, Alonso had found himself at the back of the pack after spinning out. Under FIA regulations, the cars had to parade around the circuit behind the safety car for the last lap.

Carlos Sainz was very upset after being handed a five­second penalty that demoted him to 12th. That meant he was out of the points after the Ferrari driver was deemed responsible for causing the crash that spun Alonso out.

Speaking after the race, the Spaniard called the decision “unacceptable”. “They need to wait until after the race and discuss it with me. Clearly the penalty is not deserved. It is too severe,” he added. the 89th minute increased PFC’s advantage to two goals. opportunity was once again provided by Grecia Ledesma as the Argentinian received a ball from Natasha Afflick inside the area but the shot was unable to find the back of the net.

Alonso’s teammate achieved his best finish of the season to clinch fourth place.

Mexico’s Sergio Perez took fifth in the second Red Bull. Lando Norris had a brilliant race, moving from 13th on the grid to finish in sixth for McLaren.

The American Haas team found themselves among the points again thanks to Nico Hulkenberg who grabbed an impressive seventh. Oscar Pistri was delighted to score his first points in F1 with a brilliant eighth place in the other McLaren and in front of his home crowd.

Another fantastic finish was that of Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu, who drove his Aston Martin home in ninth position. The top 10 was rounded out by Japan’s Yuki Tsunoda in the Alpha Tauri.

Today’s unprecedented events in an F1 race will undoubtedly draw comparisons with the Abu Dhabi carnival in 2021 that finished Lewis Hamilton’s chances of another world title.

Up until this point, the match had been back and forth with both teams possessing the ball well and creating clear­cut chances in front of goal. Both sides were playing at full intensity, and it was certainly a fight out there.

The game did not feel like it had been won until Idaira Bautista’s goal in

PFC put on an inspired performance Sunday night that was defined by great character and grit. With everything to play for on the night, PFC simply showed more effort and desire to get the job done, and consequently, the three points were theirs to take.

The two teams will meet again in two weeks time on April 16 as Atletico Marbella travel to Guadalmar Football Field for the second leg of the promotion playoffs.