Sainz storms to victory amid drama in Australia
MELBOURNE, Australia — Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz surged to a stellar victory at the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, marking the first non-Red Bull win of the season. Sainz capitalized on early technical troubles for reigning world champion Max Verstappen, which forced the Red Bull ace to retire.
Verstappen, angling for a record-equalling 10th consecutive win, sustained his pole position into the opening laps. However, his race fell apart when he reported mechanical issues on the second lap, enabling Sainz to overtake and seize the lead.
As Verstappen's brake-related problems intensified, smoke billowed from his RB20, forcing him to pull off the racing line. The Dutch driver allowed the entire field to pass before returning to the pits for his first retirement in two years.
With Verstappen out, Sainz dominated the race, building a substantial lead over Lando Norris, teammate Charles Leclerc, and home favourite Oscar Piastri. The Spanish driver ultimately secured his third career F1 victory, celebrating Ferrari’s triumphant return to the top step of the podium.
Leclerc executed an undercut on Norris early in the race, securing a net second and delivering Ferrari's first one-two finish since the 2022 opener. Despite losing the position, Norris celebrated his first podium of the season and a significant result for McLaren.
Piastri, initially overtaking Norris during the pit stops, was asked to let his teammate reclaim the position. A subsequent off-track excursion relegated him to a fourth-place finish, just ahead of Red Bull's Sergio Perez.
In a dramatic twist, George Russell crashed out while attempting a late move on Fernando Alonso for sixth. The incident at the high-speed Turn 6/7 damaged his Mercedes and triggered a Virtual Safety Car to the finish.
Post-race, the stewards deemed Alonso played a “potentially dangerous” role in the crash, resulting in a 20-second penalty that demoted him from P6 to P8. This ruling elevated teammate Lance Stroll to sixth and Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda to seventh, marking RB's first points of the season. Haas also enjoyed a strong finish, with Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen securing ninth and tenth places, respectively.
Williams' gamble to put Alex Albon in Logan Sargeant’s car fell short of points, leaving him in 11th. Daniel Ricciardo finished 12th for RB, followed by Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, who incurred a five-second penalty for a pit exit breach.
Read next ❯ Ferrari to reveal Hamilton's debut F1 car on February 19 at MaranelloEnduring pit stop woes, Sauber's Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu finished 14th and 15th respectively. Esteban Ocon was the final classified finisher in his Alpine, following Verstappen’s early exit, Russell's crash, and a mid-race engine issue for Lewis Hamilton.
Hamilton was relegated to the Mercedes garage as teammate Russell's car lay on its side, miraculously escaping unscathed. Russell promptly reported over the radio that he was "okay."
As the dust settled, Ferrari's celebrations ignited. Sainz, who recovered from a hospital stay to claim victory, exclaimed his famous “smooth operator” catchphrase en route to parc fermé, capping a dramatic weekend in Melbourne.
Formula 1 Race results /standings Formula 1 Race schedule F1 TV: Watch every race of the 2024 Formula 1 Grand Prix season live Watch Formula 1 in ESPN networks all season long