Max Verstappen:
"My start today wasn't amazing and then on lap 1 I was very careful as there was a lot on the line, I had a lot to lose and a lot to win. But after that restart, we had good pace and a decent gap for the majority of the race. Perhaps we didn't need all of those red flags today, it was frustrating, but everyone was safe and we won which is the most important thing. It's my first win in Australia which feels really good, it's also been a while for the Team so it means a lot to us all, especially as Checo also had a good recovery drive today. It's been a chaotic day but it's great to see that the fans had a great time despite the long wait!"
Sergio Perez:
"Generally, it was a good result today. Yesterday, I obviously lost a bit of confidence with the car, but we made a lot of changes overnight so that helped heading into the race. I had a really good restart the first time, I jumped 3 or 4 places but then it was a bit of a mess with the DRS train. I was frustrated later in the race because I couldn't advance any further, but it was so difficult to get through the field with tyre deg low and everyone going on to the hard tyres quickly. Maybe if I'd been a bit more aggressive earlier on, I could've finished higher, but I'm happy we finished P5 and even managed to secure the fastest lap. Overall, this race gives us confidence heading to Baku in a few weeks and we look forward to the challenge that it brings."
Charles Leclerc:
It was unfortunate to end the race this way today, but it was a racing incident and I don't think that we could have done anything differently. Disappointing, but on to the next one where I hope things will run more smoothly again.
Carlos Sainz:
I had a good start and felt confident on the medium tyre but we were unlucky, pitting just before they brought out the first red flag and I dropped down to P11. From there I managed to pull off a good comeback with nice overtakes and solid pace, so for that I'm happy.
It was a good race overall but the penalty ruined all the effort and I don't agree with it. The frustration I feel right now will be difficult to digest, but I will try to think only of the positives from today and focus on the next race.
Lewis Hamilton:
To get a podium today is amazing; I definitely didn't expect to be second this weekend, so I am super grateful. Considering we're down on performance, to be fighting with the Aston Martins is amazing for us at this point in the season. We've just got to keep fighting. A big thank you to all the people back at the factory. We can close that gap; it's going to be tough but not impossible.
It was very unlucky for George today. Our reliability has generally been pretty good so that was unfortunate. Finally, I want to say a huge thank you to everyone here in Melbourne and Australia. I've had the best week here and this town continues to put on a great show.
George Russell:
We did everything right this weekend. We had a great Qualifying yesterday and today, the start was perfect. We managed the first stint well and I could have extended it quite a lot more. I've felt comfortable and strong in the car on all three days. I see no reason why we couldn't have fought for victory today, so it's disappointing. As soon as I came through the high-speed turn 10, I felt something go. Three corners later, I was stopped. When it's not your day, it's not your day.
We've still got a lot of work to do to catch Red Bull, but we can take the positives from this weekend. Every time we've taken to the track, we couldn't have done any more. We maximised everything and I'm proud of the job that we have done.
Esteban Ocon:
"It's a real shame for both cars not to finish today's race, especially after showing great pace all weekend. We had the performance to be fighting the Ferraris and the Aston Martins, so to walk away with nothing is a tough one for all of us. The restart at the end was very chaotic and everything went so fast. The clash with Pierre was unfortunate and I'm glad we're both OK. We've spoken about it, and we're all good and there's no hard feelings. We're both already looking forward to the next one and I know the whole team will want to put this weekend behind us."
Pierre Gasly:
"I'm very disappointed in the outcome of today's race. We were in fifth place for most of it, chasing Carlos [Sainz] for fourth place and we showed really good race pace. For us to be so close to scoring ten points and leaving without any is a bitter one for us to take. Right now, we must focus on the positives and that is how we managed our race and how we were able to take the fight to our rivals ahead. I'm glad both Esteban and I are OK after the incident. As a team, we'll move on and keep focused for the next race."
Lando Norris
"A very good race. We had good pace throughout, stayed out of trouble with no mistakes. The team did a very good job. I think the pace today was stronger than our qualifying pace yesterday, so things came together nicely. Just a well-executed race.
"I'm happy with all of that, and it's the first points for us this season. It's nice to get on the board and it's a good end to the first few races before we have a bit of a break and then head into Baku and the next batch of races. I'm happy, so a big thanks to the whole team and everyone back at the factory for all the hard work as usual and we'll keep pushing."
Oscar Piastri
"P8, I didn't expect that at the start of the day! I'll definitely take it. Obviously a crazy, crazy race but we stayed in there when it mattered. I'm so happy to get my first points in Melbourne and want to thank all of the home fans and papaya fans for all their support this week. Double points for the team is a great result and thank you to everyone who got us there."
Valtteri Bottas:
"I'm happy for Zhou and the team to come back with two points from what can only be described as a chaotic race. My afternoon had been quite lonely and without much action - until it all kicked off towards the end. We decided to take a risk at the start, and I pitted for hard tyres on lap one: the plan was to keep those tyres for the whole race, but then the red flag meant I couldn't get much advantage from that. Later, when the safety car came out, we went for softs, but yet again the red flag messed up with my strategy. It's been a hard weekend, we have been off the pace since the start, but we'll make sure to look into that in the gap before the next race. I am actually glad to have some time before Baku, to get back to the drawing board and get back in a more competitive shape."
Guanyu Zhou:
"P9 at the chequered flag is a good result, especially considering where we started and the challenging weekend we had. There are positives to take - we had a really good start, which is something we worked really hard on, and we didn't do any mistakes in a race where there were plenty of spills. We kept it clean, kept out of trouble, and I was able to keep the pressure on Magnussen in the later stages, which in the end allowed us to get points. The conditions out there were difficult, the track temperatures were very low but we didn't do mistakes and it is what matters. These are my first points of the year, always a nice reward in a tricky place like Melbourne. Now we will need to keep improving and hopefully add more points to our name in Baku and beyond."
Lance Stroll:
"I think we should be pleased with the result we've come away with today: third and fourth is great for the team. It was a heavily disrupted race with red flags and a few big accidents, and neither Fernando nor I managed to stay clear of the drama. I had a little bit of contact on the first lap, but we were running well until the first red flag was thrown. As we've seen across the weekend, it takes a while for the tyres to get up to temperature here and so on the second restart I locked up at turn three and ended up in the gravel. Thankfully, the red flag had been waved before that point and I was able to retake my position for the final restart. This sport is a rollercoaster of emotions sometimes! Overall, we've come away from a chaotic race with a solid haul of points for the team and to be second in the Constructors' Championship after three races is very positive"
Fernando Alonso:
"It was a rollercoaster of emotions today with the red flags and incidents. It was probably my craziest race here in Melbourne but it's great to come away with another podium. There were many things going on all afternoon and we had an interesting battle with Lewis [Hamilton] for second. The pace of the car was good and we kept up the pressure on Lewis, but he did a good job and didn't really make any mistakes. On the contact with Carlos [Sainz] after the restart I'm sure he didn't mean to do it so I think the penalty for him was quite harsh in the end. We have to be pleased with this start to the season and three podiums in as many races."
Kevin Magnussen:
"I brushed the wall at the exit of Turn 2 and the rim broke, the tire came off and I had to stop. I didn't even feel it so it definitely wasn't something that felt big in the car, but it was enough to crack the rim and take the tire off. It's unfortunate, we were in P12 I think at that time and it didn't look like I was going to be able to score points. We got unlucky with the first red flag as we had just pitted from P11 and we seemed to be quicker than the next couple of cars so I was quite confident at that stage of the race. Then we pitted under the safety car and just afterwards, it turned to a red flag. Everyone put their tires on to go to the end of the race and we were last. It wasn't my day but it seemed like the car had decent pace so I'm encouraged by that and we'll push next time."
Nico Hulkenberg:
"It was wild and a bit messy at times. We'll have to look through everything that happened as there were a lot of things happening. I had a super start the third time around on softs and came through to P4, so it's a shame there were a few incidents and then the race was red flagged. There are a lot of positive learnings again and I feel there are a lot of good things happening. I'm refreshed, in a very positive mindset and really enjoy working with the team and experimenting with the car. We have very good momentum and that's what we want to take into the next races."
Yuki Tsunoda:
"I have mixed feelings about today. We scored our first point of the season which is good, but to be honest, given our pace I didn't expect to score any today. Considering how much we were struggling before the red flag, with warming up and getting the hard compound tyres in the optimum window, we should take this result and be happy with P10 as we maximised our performance. It's a shame we lost P5 because, going into Turn 1, I managed to overtake several cars. On the positive side we scored a point, so we will continue to work hard to score more in the coming races."
Nyck de Vries:
"Sadly, the racing incident with Logan meant the end of the race for us. We were struggling very much out there today but we did well at the beginning on the hard compound. Unfortunately, when the red flag came out, everyone who started on the mediums got a free pitstop to switch to the hard. I also damaged the front wing during the race, so I ended up with understeer and graining on the tyres. The midfield is still very tight, so we will continue to work and push, to be able to move up the ladder."
Alex Albon:
We're still looking at the data but there was nothing unusual in the corner itself. When I lost the car, I was going through slower than the previous lap; I went wide on the corner before and spiked the tyre temperatures, losing grip and going into the next corner a bit hot, so I think that's what happened but we need to look at it. With all the accidents, it was a good chance to score points this weekend, so I'm very sorry to the team. I'm disappointed, as we had a great car today and were really strong.
Logan Sargeant:
The race in general just didn't quite fall our way, with it being a really tricky day. We pitted to the medium tyre following the first safety car, and it just wasn't the tyre to be on today and I really struggled with it. Once we got to the hard tyre, the pace wasn't too bad, so to end it like that is unfortunate. We tried to take some chances today and it just didn't pay off. I've learnt a lot from today, so hopefully can use these learnings going forward.
