Verstappen triumphs even as red flag reigns supreme in a chaotic contest

From fireworks to farce, what began at the Australian Grand Prix with illuminating excitement ended with the dampest of squibs.

- Giles Richards

Inevitably, and with what is likely to become a relentless refrain this season, Max Verstappen won for Red Bull in Melbourne but only after a measure of the chaos and confusion that F1 seems exquisitely adept at serving up. Its labyrinthine rulebook once more weighed heavy on the action, informed by the looming spectre of the Abu Dhabi 2021 controversy and an intimation that the demand for entertainment is in the driving seat of decision-making.

The meeting at Albert Park took a full two and half hours to conclude. Late risers in the UK hoping to catch the final laps over breakfast were doubtless pleased to find that there was still plenty of time left to watch after it was stopped no fewer than three times. Whether they understood what was actually happening by the end is another question entirely as few it seems in Melbourne had much idea either, the race coming to a conclusion in an ignominious fashion, dismissed by drivers as a mess that left even them confused.

The second and key stoppage came with four laps to go, to deal with debris after Kevin Magnussen's Haas clipped the wall at turn two and lost its right rear tyre. A standing restart followed and, with two laps to run, the pinnacle of motor racing descended into bedlam. Six cars were involved in incidents, flying into one another and off the track before the field had managed to reach the end of the first sector of the lap.