by Carlos Sainz won the Australian Grand Prix for Ferrari, delivering a consummate drive in Melbourne after world champion Max Verstappen’s race ended with a brake explosion after just four laps.
The win for Sainz was a great comeback for the driver who is still recovering from appendicitis surgery and is out of contract for next season. Sainz drove brilliantly to beat team-mate Charles Leclerc into second place at Parc Albert, Ferrari’s first two from Bahrain in 2022.
McLaren’s Lando Norris was third and his Australian teammate Oscar Piastri had a great result in fourth. Lewis Hamilton, who will replace Sainz at Ferrari next season, ended a difficult retirement weekend with engine failure, although there was further woe for Mercedes when team-mate George Russell crashed out on the final lap. Sergio Pérez was fifth for Red Bull.
Related: Australian Grand Prix: Formula One 2024 – live
After starting second behind Verstappen, Sainz took full advantage of a controlled drive at the front of the field after a run of nine world wins that came to an end after he retired from the lead, his right rear brake giving out. in explosion and flames.
The Dutchman was clearly furious when he got out of the car and was denied a mechanical failure which caused the first retirement from Australia 2022. the handbrake was on,” said Verstappen. The team has not yet given any explanation as to what caused the problem.
For Sainz, this was a great victory. The Spaniard underwent surgery for appendicitis just two weeks ago when he was forced to pull out of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Still not fully recovered, he had lost several kilograms of weight, was unable to complete the pre-race training and simulator work, and admitted that dealing with the intense G-forces at Albert Park after after the operation.
“This is amazing. Life is a rollercoaster, life is great,” Sainz said.
The win opens Sainz’s season with the statement of confidence and combat that the Spanish driver badly needed. He is determined to make his case for a good seat next season and he did so effectively in Melbourne. Sainz and the team will take great heart from such a competitive display at race pace and for Ferrari to deliver with a calm operational control and assurance that was often lacking last season.
This is Sainz’s third career win and his first in Australia. He was the only driver to deny victory to Red Bull last season, with victory in Singapore, and the first to do so this year. He took his first win at the British Grand Prix in 2022.
Verstappen was leading by one from Sainz but on lap two DRS enabled Sainz to burst past the Dutchman ahead of turn nine to the roars of an appreciative crowd.
Verstappen said he had lost the back of the car and slipped into turn eight, opening the door for Sainz, and complained that the car was “loose”.
He clearly had a problem as it got worse afterwards when smoke began to flow from the back of the car which started to go back through the field. “I’ve got smoke, fire, fire, brake,” Verstappen told the team as he raced to the pits on lap three.
The right rear brake exploded in a cloud of smoke and dust on his way into the pits, then there were flames as he entered the pit box which lit up his tires. The car was immediately retired.
With the world champion out the race was wide open, Sainz leading from Norris and Leclerc, with Pérez in sixth. The open stops started early on lap 10 when Leclerc crashed.
Sainz looked completely in control at the front of the field, however, content with his rubbers to stay out long and open up a solid eight-second gap on Norris, who was trailing Piastri who had moved up to fourth.
Sainz pitted at the end of lap 16 immediately after and Hamilton suffered engine failure on lap 17, pulling out of the race and triggering the virtual safety car to end a disappointing weekend for the British driver.
The Spaniard later followed with much fresher tires than Leclerc in second, when McLaren moved Piastri aside for Norris who was on fresher rubber on lap 29.
Related: FIA able to escape scrutiny with a season of shadow indictments | Giles Richards
On a circuit where tire management is always key, Sainz’s smooth and controlled style was paying huge dividends. On newer rubber, he had opened up a nine-second lead over Leclerc by the time the Monegasque driver’s Ferrari struck again on lap 34.
Sainz pitted for the final time on lap 41, rejoining the lead with a comfortable gap to Leclerc and the tires to ease to the flag for a well-deserved victory under the VSC after Russell lost his rear and hit the wall. hit coming up behind. Fernando Alonso turning six and seven.
Alonso and Lance Stroll were sixth and seventh for Aston Martin. Yuki Tsunoda eighth for RB and Nico Hülkenberg and Kevin Magnussen ninth and 10th for Haas. For Daniel Ricciardo it was a home race to forget as the Australian could only manage 13th.
