--- title: "Haas Files Protest in Wild Red Flag-Filled F1 Australian GP" description: "Following the chaos of the F1 Australian grand prix's red flag-filled finish, Haas has filed a protest Hulkenberg's finish." date: "2023-04-02" modified: "2023-04-02" authors: - name: "Nico DeMattia" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/nico-demattia" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/haas-files-protest-in-wild-red-flag-filled-f1-australian-gp" categories: - "F1" - "News" - "Racing" --- # Haas Files Protest in Wild Red Flag-Filled F1 Australian GP ![]() *Photo | Getty Images* The 2023[ Formula 1 ]()Australian grand prix was possibly the messiest F1 race I've ever seen, from beginning to end. Red Bull's Max Verstappen got off to an uncharacteristically bad start, Ferrari's [Charles Leclerc ]()crashed out of the race barely a kilometer into the first lap, and Williams' Alex Albon was shunted from behind and crashed out in the ninth lap. The latter of which drew a red flag, causing a standing restart. However, none of that compares to the absolute mess that occurred within the final laps, which caused the Haas F1 team to file a protest. In lap 55, Haas driver Kevin Magnussen crashed out of the race, sending debris all over the track and forcing yet another red flag and another restart. Moments after the restart, chaos once again ensued, as several drivers immediately crashed. Both Alpines crashed out, Ferrari's Carlos Sainz shunted Aston Martin's Fernando [Alonso]() off the track, and Williams' Logan Sargeant crashed into AlphaTauri's Nyck de Vries. All of which drew yet another red flag and another standing restart. However, that was actually good news for Haas F1, as those crashes moved Nico Hulkenberg to the number four spot for the final lap. ![]() **Photo | Getty Images** The race stewards determined that the final lap would just be a formation lap after the restart, meaning Haas and Hulkenberg were guaranteed to snag a fourth place finish. However, the stewards then decided that the final restart order would instead be the same as the previous one, dropping Hulkenberg from P4 to P7, losing quite a few points. Following the race, the Haas F1 team filed a protest with the race stewards. While the nature of the protest wasn't announced, it seems likely that it's about the final grid positions. As *[Motorsport]()* points out, FIA sporting regulation 57.3 about restart position order says: "In all cases the order will be taken at the last point at which it was possible to determine the position of all cars. All such cars will then be permitted to resume the sprint session or the race." ![]() **Photo | Getty Images** It's understandable that determining new grid positions was difficult for the race stewards, following the chaos of the penultimate restart. However, Haas is also understandably upset about losing three positions and valuable points due to red flag confusion. Who isn't upset is Fernando Alonso. When Alonso was shunted off by Sainz, he lost his third-place position. However, since the final restart reverted him back to third place, he finished on the podium for the third time this season. Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton finished second, his best finish of the season. Finally, Verstappen won his second grand prix this year, which marks the first time Red Bull has won the first opening three races of a season, as teammate Sergio Perez won two weeks ago. *Got tips? Send 'em to tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Nico is a writer and reviewer from New Jersey who probably thinks he’s a lot funnier than he actually is. His love of cars began when he was just a kid playing Gran Turismo 3, grinding out enough race wins with a Mazda Miata to save up for an in-game RUF 911. That passion for small, lightweight sports cars drove his desire to learn more about the industry, get his hands on as many cars as he could, and bring those experiences to life on the page. He cut his teeth writing about BMWs, Volkswagens, and Audis, mostly, and has owned far too many of each. He’s on his fourth 3 Series sedan, but all of his old, cheap German cars have forced him to learn more about car maintenance than his mechanical capability can handle. Too many late nights have been spent scrambling to get a car running by morning so he could get to work. For some reason, he never seems to learn that old Bimmers probably aren’t the best daily drivers. But he loves more than just old German cars. He’ll gladly drive and discuss anything with four (or even three) wheels. Cars aren’t his only passions, though. Nico is also a big nerd and loves movies, video games, comic books, and cares far too much about the New York Giants. So don’t be surprised if you see football references or dumb, obscure movie quotes in any of his car reviews. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()