Sainz, who two weeks ago underwent surgery for appendicitis, finished the race 2.3 seconds before than his teammate, Charles Leclerc, while McLaren’s Lando Norris came third.
Formula 1: Carlos Sainz won the Australian GP
“It was a very good race, physically it was not the easiest, but I was largely alone, so I was able to manage the pace, manage the tires,” declared Sainz.
Verstappen had to get out of his smoking vehicle after being passed by Sainz in the second round.
“I’ve got smoke, blue smoke, fire, fire,” he said on the team radio before abandoning the race after what appeared to be a problem with the rear brake.
“As soon as the start light went out, the right brake locked, so the car was difficult to drive from the start,” he explained. Verstappen, who had 43 Grand Prix without abandoning.
The Dutch driver continues to lead the world championship, but Charles Leclerc moved up to second place by just four points, 51 points to 47.
It was also a bad race for Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes. The Briton, a seven-time world champion, suffered an engine failure on lap 17.
Like in Singapore in September last year, where he ended Verstappen’s first series of ten victories, after Carlos Sainz did not tremble and achieved his third victory in F1 in Australia, after Singapore in 2023 and Silverstone in 2022.
Winning ahead of Leclerc, the duo gave Ferrari his first double since the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix.
“It feels good, especially for the team,” he said. Leclerc, who finished ahead of the British Lando Norris, third at the wheel of a McLaren.
The other pilot McLaren, the Australian Oscar Piastri, He qualified fourth in a race marked by the impressive accident of the British George Russell of the Mercedes team.
When he was circulating just behind the Spanish Fernando Alonso, Russell crashed into a wall before ending up on the left side of his car, which stopped in the middle of the track.
It was an accident without physical consequences for the pilot, but it rounded out a GP to forget for Mercedes.
Before, the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton who is expected to replace Sainz at Ferrari next year, had to leave due to an engine problem.
Alonso, for his part, finished in sixth position, behind the Mexican Sergio Pérez, but was given a 20-second penalty for “dangerous driving” in Russell’s accident and fell to eighth place.
Classification
1. Carlos Sainz Jr (Spain/Ferrari) 311.402 km in 1h 20:26.843
2. Charles Leclerc (Monaco/Ferrari) at 2,366
3. Lando Norris (Great Britain/McLaren-Mercedes) at 5,904
4. Oscar Piastri (Australia/McLaren-Mercedes) at 35,770
5. Sergio Pérez (Mexico/Red Bull) at 56,309
6. Lance Stroll (Canada/Aston Martin-Mercedes) at 1:33.222
7. Yuki Tsunoda (Japan/Racing Bulls-Red Bull) at 1:35.601
8. Fernando Alonso (Spain/Aston Martin-Mercedes) at 1:40.992*
9. Nico Hülkenberg (Germany/Haas-Ferrari) at 1:44.553
10. Kevin Magnussen (Denmark/Haas-Ferrari) 1 lap away
11. Alexander Albon (United Kingdom/Williams-Mercedes) 1 lap
12. Daniel Ricciardo (Australia/Racing Bulls-Red Bull) 1 lap away
13. Pierre Gasly (France/Alpine-Renault) 1 lap away**
14. Valtteri Bottas (Finland/Sauber-Ferrari) 1 lap away
15. Zhou Guanyu (China/Sauber-Ferrari) 1 lap away
16. Esteban Ocon (France/Alpine-Renault) 1 lap away
17. George Russell (Great Britain/Mercedes) 3 laps
* 20-second penalty for “potentially dangerous driving”
** five second penalty for crossing the start line of the stands
Fastest lap: Charles Leclerc (Monaco/Ferrari) 1:19.813 on lap 56 (average: 238.066 km/h)
Dropouts
Max Verstappen (Neederland/Red Bull): 4th lap, brakes
Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain/Mercedes): 16th lap, engine
George Russell (Great Britain/Mercedes): 57th lap, accident (classified)
Driver classification
1. Max Verstappen 51 points; 2. Charles Leclerc 47; 3. Sergio Pérez 46; 4. Carlos Sainz Jr 40; 5. Oscar Piastri 28; 6. Lando Norris 27; 7. George Russell 18; 8. Fernando Alonso 16, 9. Lance Stroll 9; 10. Lewis Hamilton 8; 11. Yuki Tsunoda 4; 12. Oliver Bearman 6; 13. Nico Hülkenberg 3 14. Kevin Magnussen 1; 15. Alexander Albon; 16.Zhou Guanyu; 17. Daniel Ricciardo; 18. Esteban Ocon; 19. Pierre Gasly; 20. Valtteri Bottas and 21. Logan Sargeant, without units
Team classification
1. Red Bull 97 points; 2. Ferrari 93; 3. McLaren-Mercedes 55; 4. Mercedes 26; 5. Aston Martin-Mercedes 25; 6. Racing Bulls-Red Bull 4; 7. Haas-Ferrari 4; 8. Williams-Mercedes 0; 9. Sauber-Ferrari 0; 10. Alpine-Renault 0
Source: Ambito
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
