Australian Grand Prix race results: Valtteri Bottas romps to victory, Daniel Ricciardo forced to retire

He didn't register a win in 2018, but Valtteri Bottas raised eyebrows at Albert Park as he romped to victory in Melbourne.

Bottas crushed his highly-fancied Mercedes teammate and polesitter Lewis Hamilton by a whopping 21 seconds to claim his fourth win, and first since the 2017 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The Finn also claimed an extra point courtesy of his race fastest lap - a new rule brought into the championship for 2019.

Red Bull pilot Max Verstappen pushed Hamilton in the closing stages but had to settle for third.

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After impressing in pre-season testing, Ferrari were nowhere on race day, with Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc nearly a minute off Bottas by race's end.

Leclerc was closing in on his four-time world championship-winning teammate, but Ferrari ordered the Monegasque to hold station.

Kevin Magnussen finished sixth in his Haas, with Nico Hulkenberg (Renault), Kimi Raikkonen (Alfa Romeo), Lance Stroll (Racing Point) and Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso) the other points-finishers.

Meanwhile, there was more hometown heartbreak for Daniel Ricciardo, with the Australian forced to retire his Renault after he sustained damage shortly after the start.

The Aussie's race was over before it reached the first corner - moving to the right after starting 12th, Ricciardo lost his front wing as his car bounced over the grass near pit exit.

Ricciardo pitted and circulated before his team finally retired the car on lap 31.

Carlos Sainz (McLaren) and Romain Grosjean (Haas) were the others to retire from the race.

However, Sunday was all about Bottas, who couldn't hide his delight in victory - albeit, in his own phlegmatic guise.

Such was Bottas' pace that only six cars finished the race on the lead lap.

“It was definitely my best race ever" he said after the race.

"I don’t know what happened, I just felt so good, everything was under control. The car was so good today, truly enjoyable."

A dominant fourth career victory, and the fastest lap of the race 💪@ValtteriBottas claimed a maximum 2⃣6⃣ points down under!#AusGP 🇦🇺 #F1 pic.twitter.com/GOLN8UfwHo

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 17, 2019

2019 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX

RACE RESULTS