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F1: Haas launch protest over controversial end to Australian Grand Prix

 (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

Haas have protested against the result of the Australian Grand Prix after a chaotic finish to the Formula One race.

Nico Hulkenberg came home seventh in Melbourne on Sunday after a pair of red flags bookended what became a two-lap shootout.

The Haas driver lined up seventh on the grid for the second restart, for a two-lap sprint to decide the race and he moved up to fourth as several cars crashed out in the first lap.

That scene prompted a third red flag with just a single lap left.

After lengthy deliberations, stewards decided the race would finish according to grid positions at the restart with a lap behind a safety car minus the cars that had crashed.

That meant Hulkenberg finished seventh, according to the race's provisional classification, denying him a difference of six championship points.

The controversy arose over whether the final restart should have taken place in the previous order or the new order, with the rulebook requiring at least the first sector of a lap to be completed before the new order takes full effect.

An F1 statement confirmed: “Haas were summoned to the stewards at 1930 local time having lodged a protest over the result of Sunday's race.”

Additional reporting by Reuters.