Carlos Sainz Steals Australian GP Win
In Melbourne, Australia, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz broke Red Bull’s winning streak in Formula 1 on Sunday. He seized the opportunity after Max Verstappen had to retire early, winning the Australian Grand Prix. Just two weeks ago, Sainz had to sit out the Saudi Arabia race because he had an emergency appendectomy.
Sainz started beside Verstappen at the front and held onto his position through the first turn. He overtook Verstappen on lap two at turn nine to take the lead and maintained control after Verstappen’s car broke down with a fiery mechanical issue two laps later.
Verstappen had won the first two Formula 1 races of the season in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. He was on a nine-race winning streak.
Sainz led the way for Ferrari, with Leclerc trailing behind him, marking Ferrari’s first 1-2 finish since the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2022. Meanwhile, Norris secured third place, clinching his maiden podium at Albert Park for McLaren.
Oscar Piastri, who is from Australia and is part of the same team, finished in fourth place.
Sainz, who will be replaced by Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari in 2025, was extremely happy to secure his third career win despite facing tough challenges. This victory marks his first win since last year’s Singapore Grand Prix.
Sainz said he felt good during the race, even though he was a little stiff physically. It wasn’t the easiest drive, but luckily he was mostly alone on the track. This allowed him to control his pace, manage his tires, and handle everything smoothly.
“Life can be quite a whirlwind, you know? From the craziness at the start of the year to the podium in Bahrain, then dealing with my appendix, making a comeback, and finally clinching the win—it’s been like riding a roller coaster. But honestly, I’ve enjoyed every moment of it.”
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Leclerc stood on the podium for the second time in a row, feeling positive about Ferrari’s speed. They showed they could challenge Red Bull even when Red Bull was dominating.
“We were confident about our chances for pole position and winning the race because our tires were lasting well, and our pace was strong,” he explained. “It’s really encouraging. But when we look back at the first three races, Red Bull had the advantage in two of them. So, there’s still plenty of work ahead for us.”
Norris remarked that it wasn’t unexpected for him to achieve his first podium since Brazil last year.
“I don’t think so, especially if you remove the Red Bull from the equation,” he explained. “Our performance has been solid throughout the weekend. We executed our plans well yesterday and demonstrated a strong pace during long runs with high fuel on Friday. So, I wouldn’t say we had no chance.”
The race ended with a virtual safety car, meaning there wasn’t much racing on the final lap because George Russell from Mercedes crashed at turn seven. Sergio Pérez from Red Bull finished fifth, only moving up one spot from his starting position of sixth due to a penalty he got for blocking Nico Hülkenberg during qualifying.
Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso initially finished sixth in the race, but his position dropped to eighth after race officials penalized him with a 20-second time penalty and three penalty points on his license. This penalty was given due to what the stewards deemed as “potentially dangerous” driving while battling Russell on the final lap.
Alonso backed off the gas over 100 meters sooner than usual as he approached turn six. Meanwhile, Russell behind him spun out and crashed while exiting the corner.
Both Russell and his teammate Lewis Hamilton failed to finish the race. Hamilton’s car suffered an engine failure on lap 17, marking Mercedes’ first race since the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix where both cars failed to finish, breaking their streak of reliability.
Yuki Tsunoda, a Japanese driver, secured six points for the RB team, previously known as AlphaTauri, by finishing seventh in the race. He moved up due to Alonso’s penalty, marking the team’s first points of the season.
Haas, an American racing team, achieved its best performance in a while by having both of its drivers, Hülkenberg and teammate Kevin Magnussen, finish in the top 10 at the latest race. This is the first time they’ve achieved such a feat since the Austrian Grand Prix in 2022.
The race shuffled up the driver standings! Verstappen’s lead used to be a big cushion of 15 points, but it’s shrunk dramatically to just 4 points. Now, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc is hot on his heels in second place. Verstappen still leads with 51 points, but Leclerc isn’t far behind with 47 points.
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