"Of course, my lap one wasn't amazing" - Max Verstappen explains his conservative start to 2023 Australian GP

Max Verstappen said that he was trying to be extra cautious at the start of the race at the Australian GP on Sunday, as he did not want to incur any damage.

The Red Bull driver was swamped on the first turn by George Russell before Lewis Hamilton, the other Mercedes driver, did likewise at the next braking point. Verstappen was very conservative at the start and only started picking up pace after a few laps.

When asked about his tepid start, the Red Bull driver said that he didn't want to be over aggressive and risk damage, knowing that he had the car to make up the gap, telling Sky Sports:

"At the moment (the car) looks very strong. Of course, my lap one wasn't amazing, but I know that we have a quick car, so there is no need to be aggressive and risk damage on the car. The others realised their chance is the other way around, so that is why they were aggressive, which is fair enough. I would probably do the same if it was the other way around."

He added:

"I think with these new rules that are set out that if you are racing from the outside, if you are ahead at the apex, you need to be given space at the exit, which I thought I wasn't, because I was literally avoiding being crashed into. I will raise it, but I also don't want to make it a big thing. But when the rules were written like that, I thought they would be respected.

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Rules were not followed in first lap overtake - Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen reckons that the rules were not followed when Lewis Hamilton overtook him on the first lap. Elaborating, the Red Bull driver said:

"From my side, I just tried to avoid contact. It's quite clear in the rules what you're allowed to do on the outside, but clearly it's not followed. It's okay; we had good pace, and we passed them anyway, but it's something for the next race to take into account. It's great to win here - my first first win - it's been a while for the team as well, so very very happy."

Max Verstappen has now won two of the three races this season to extend his lead over his second-placed teammate Sergio Perez (54) to 15 points.