ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - DECEMBER 12: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes W12 leads Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (33) Red Bull Racing RB16B Honda during the F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi at Yas Marina Circuit on December 12, 2021 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)
Max Verstappen won the Australian GP while George Russell registered a DNF – but it was closer than it looks
Max Verstappen dominated the Australian GP to bag his second win of the season amidst all the drama, the thrills and the spills we witnessed at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne.
The race was not short of drama as three red flags and a finish under the safety car left enough room for controversy and debate about how things could have been handled better. Max Verstappen eventually cruised to victory but eight drivers, including George Russell, ended up registering DNFs in a race that lasted for more than two and a half hours.
Verstappen did not get off to the best of starts as the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell left him behind right after the lights went out at the Albert Park Circuit. However, the Mercedes delight didn’t last long as Verstappen eventually had the last laugh, bagging his third consecutive podium finish this season. Hamilton put a spirited display to finish in second place but Russell unfortunately registered a DNF beside his name.
Let us take a look at some of the reactions from fans on social media.
“I mean… If you ignore the 37 wins, the 22 poles, the 2 world drivers championships, the win at the end of this very race & the fact Verstappen is going to win a 3rd WDC this year, then sure, 1-0 to Russell”, wrote a fan, taking a dig at the official F1 Twitter handle.
“Russell owns that rockstship merchant”, tweeted another fan.
“This just shows that Max doesn’t have to be his normal aggressive self because he can pass anyone with ease over the course of the race. He basically just said, go ahead, I’ll see you in a sec”, read a tweet.
“Please don’t compare them. Russell is nowhere near his level”, stated another fan.
Another fan wrote: “What matters is that Max won the race and Russell didn’t score.”
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