Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc made it two out of three in the Formula One racing season by winning the 2022 Australian Grand Prix comfortably over Red Bull’s Sergio Perez with both Mercedes cars behind them – George Russell in third and seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton just off the podium in fourth.
Leclerc held pole position and dominated the race from start to finish as 2022 continued to be a karmic payback year for Red Bull’s Max Verstappen after the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix fiasco where Hamilton’s eighth title was denied by a rogue race director benefiting Verstappen. Verstappen started in second but was only a brief flick of annoyance to Leclerc before finally retiring with a mechanical issue.
Meanwhile, Mercedes enjoyed an unexpected 3-4 finish with Russell and Hamilton, who started fifth and sixth, respectively, amid continued aerodynamic issues plaguing the team.
With the results, after winning the first two of three F1 races for the 2022 season, Leclerc holds a commanding lead in the driver’s standings with 71 points over Russell in second with 37 points, Leclerc’s Ferrari teammate, Carlos Sainz, Jr., in third with 33 points, Perez in fourth with 30 points and Hamilton in fifth with 28 points.
2022 Australian Grand Prix Top 10
1] Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:27:46.548
2] Sergio Pérez Red Bull +20.524s
3] George Russell Mercedes +25.593s
4] Lewis Hamilton Mercedes +28.543s
5] Lando Norris McLaren +53.303s
6] Daniel Ricciardo McLaren +53.737s
7] Esteban Ocon Alpine +61.683s
8] Finland V. Bottas Alfa Romeo +68.439s
9] Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri +76.221s
10] Alex Albon Williams +79.382s
