Lewis Hamilton's 'mistake' helped Max Verstappen to Australian Grand Prix victory, claims Christian Horner

Lewis Hamilton's 'mistake' early in the Australian Grand Prix played a decisive role in Max Verstappen's Australian Grand Prix victory, claims Christian Horner.

Horner - Principal of Red Bull Racing - claimed that a 'mistake' from the Englishman was partially to blame as Mercedes missed a golden opportunity to claim a first race victory of 2023.

Both Hamilton and his Mercedes teammate George Russell overtook Red Bull's Max Verstappen in the first lap of the Australian Grand Prix, however the Dutchman would soon find himself back at the front of the pack, flying out of the blocks after Alex Albon's crash resulted in the first red flag of the race.

Hamilton was left bemused by the pace of the Red Bull car, however Horner has laid the blame with the Englishman, who he believes made a key error in the early stages of the race:

"First of all, I think Lewis made a mistake on that lap [lap 12]" exclaimed Horner as per the Express.

"Moreover, we had completely set up the car for the race. Maybe Hamilton heated up his tires a little too aggressively, so he suffered a bit more in the race."

Hamilton's Mercedes teammate Russell was equally perplexed at the speed of their rivals car, claiming that they were "almost embarrassed to show off their full potential" as he claimed they had a "seven-tenths advantage" over the rest of the competition.

Lewis Hamilton with Mercedes teammate George Russell. Image: Alamy

However Horner laughed off the claims, as he made reference to the dominance that Mercedes have previously had out on the racetrack:

"That's very generous of him, I'm flattered." said Horner in response to Russell's comments.

"He'd know too well from his team about those kinds of advantage."

Red Bull have enjoyed a blistering start to the 2023 Formula One campaign, claiming victory in all three races thus far.

Sunday's Australian GP was the first time that the 2022 Constructors Championship winners have failed to secure a one-two on the podium, with Sergio Perez finishing fifth, as Aston Martin continued their impressive start to the season with Fernando Alonso securing a third place finish and Lance Stroll in fourth.