Carlos Sainz Wins As Verstappen Crashes Out Of F1 Australian GP
Carlos Sainz of Ferrari put a stop to Red Bull’s Formula 1 winning run on Sunday by winning the Australian Grand Prix, just two weeks after the Spaniard missed the last race in Saudi Arabia due to an emergency appendectomy. Sainz took advantage of Max Verstappen‘s early retirement.
After starting alongside Verstappen in the lead, Sainz maintained his position through the first turn. However, on lap two, he overtook the Dutchman in turn nine, seizing the lead when his competitor stopped two laps later due to a fiery technical issue.
Verstappen was riding a nine-race winning streak after taking first place in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia during the opening two Formula One races of the season.
Ferrari’s first 1-2 finish since the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix came from Carlos Sainz finishing ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc. Lando Norris of McLaren secured his first podium at Albert Park by finishing third.
Oscar Piastri, an Australian who plays for his squad, came in fourth. Against all chances, Sainz won his third career race and first since the Singapore Grand Prix last year. Lewis Hamilton will take over for Carlos Sainz at Ferrari starting in 2025.
“I had a great time outside.”
“Naturally, I felt a little stiff, especially in my body. It wasn’t the simplest, but I was fortunate to be largely by myself so I could just control everything—my pace, the tires, and everything else.”
“You know, sometimes life is insane. It’s quite the roller coaster, starting at the beginning of the year and ending with the podium in Bahrain, appendicitis, comeback, and victory. However, I adored it.”
Carlos Sainz
Because Ferrari was able to stave off opponent Red Bull throughout its dominant phase, Leclerc, who finished on the podium for the second consecutive race, felt inspired.
Norris claimed that his ability to secure his first podium since Brazil the previous year wasn’t shocking.
George Russell, a driver representing Mercedes, wrecked on turn seven, meaning that the race ended under the virtual safety car, which prevented racing for the majority of the last lap. After receiving a three-place grid penalty for obstructing Nico Hülkenberg during qualifying, Sergio Perez of Red Bull completed the top five and moved up just one position from where he began in sixth.
After dueling Russell on the last lap, Fernando Alonso, a two-time world champion, finished eighth on the road after receiving a 20-second time penalty and three penalty points on his license from the stewards for “potentially dangerous” driving.
Russell lost control of his vehicle and crashed at the corner’s exit, behind Alonso by just over 100 metres when he decelerated from the accelerator at turn six in the race.
Mercedes experienced their first double non-finish since the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix when Lewis Hamilton, a teammate of Russell, also failed to finish due to an engine failure on lap 17. This broke Mercedes’ record of reliability.
Thanks to Alonso’s penalty, Yuki Tsunoda, a driver from Japan, won RB, formerly known as AlphaTauri, its first points of the season with six points for seventh place.
Hülkenberg and colleague Kevin Magnussen completed the top-10 in ninth and tenth place, respectively, to give American team Haas its first double points finish since the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix.
Leclerc is now in second place, and Verstappen’s advantage in the drivers’ standings has shrunk to four points. Leclerc tops Verstappen with 47 points.
