Carlos Sainz triumphed at the Australian Grand Prix, driving for Ferrari in an unrivalled display at Melbourne. His triumphant ride came in the wake of reigning champion Max Verstappen’s abrupt exit from the race owing to a brake explosion barely four laps in.
Despite recently undergoing surgery for appendicitis, the soon-to-be out-of-contract Sainz made a splendid comeback. Driving with finesse, he outperformed his team-mate Charles Leclerc to gain the number one spot at Albert Park, marking Ferrari’s first one-two finish since the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix.
Third place was secured by Lando Norris for McLaren, while his Australian counterpart Oscar Piastri achieved an impressive fourth-place finish. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton’s disappointing weekend culminated in a withdrawal due to engine failure. This came in addition to George Russell’s exit from the final lap due to a crash, further disappointing Mercedes. Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez rounded off the top five.
Sainz seized an opportunity presented by Verstappen’s disaster, steering his course flawlessly at the front of the pack. His right rear brake burst into flames, cutting short his winning streak of nine majors, forcing his retirement. Clearly enraged, Verstappen was his own harshest critic, likening the event to driving with the handbrake engaged. Red Bull’s team gave no immediate explanation for the mechanical failure.
Sainz’s victory is all the more remarkable considering his recent appendicitis surgery. Only two weeks prior, he withdrew from the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix to undergo the procedure. He admitted that his incomplete physical preparation combined with significant weight loss and the demanding g-forces at Albert Park provided a unique challenge post-operation. Though still in recovery, the race win was a career highlight for the Spaniard, who reflected on the exhilarating ups and downs of life.
Sainz instantly boosts his season with a resounding and assertive display of intention that he deeply desired as a Spanish racer. His ambition to secure an impressive spot for the next season was manifested remarkably in Melbourne. Both Sainz and his team can extract enthusiasm from such an aggressive performance, with Ferrrari handling it with a composure, mastery and certainty that were frequently missing in the previous season.
In the previous season, Sainz was the lone racer who prevented Red Bull from emerging victorious, accomplishing a win in Singapore, and he is the first to repeat this feat this year. His career’s third victory came after he notched up his first win at the British Grand Prix in 2022, and his first in Australia.
From the start, Verstappen managed to maintain his lead over Sainz, but as soon as the DRS was activated in the second lap, the Spanish racer overtook him to grab the lead at the ninth turn amid cheers from a grateful crowd. Verstappen admitted losing control at the seventh and eighth turns, leaving an opening for Sainz and reported that his car was “wandering”. As smoke started to pour from the rear of his car, he faced more problems. Verstappen informed his team of the smoke and fire and the need for a brake as he slowly approached the pit in the third lap.
Verstappen’s entry into the pits was marked by his right rear brake exploding in a cloud of smoke and dust, and it was still ablaze when he arrived at the pit box, igniting his tyre. His car was instantly retired.
With Verstappen’s exit leaving the race wide open, Sainz maintained his lead over Norris and Leclerc, while Pérez was in the sixth place. Leclerc was the first to make an early pit stop on the tenth lap.
Sainz seemed indisputably dominant at the head of the field, content with his tyres and determined to stay out longer, thus establishing a healthy lead of eight seconds over Norris who, after his pit stop, was overtaken by Piastri, propelling him to the fourth place.
At the conclusion of the 16th lap, Sainz made a pit stop. Following this, a mechanical malfunction forced Hamilton out of the race during Lap 17, leading to the activation of the virtual safety car. This unfortunate event marred Hamilton’s race weekend. Sainz picked up the lead when he resumed racing a lap later, equipped with fresher tyres than his rival, Leclerc, who at that moment was in the second position. McLaren made a tactical move by stepping Piastri down to allow Norris to race with newer tyres on the 29th lap.
Tyre management is a crucial aspect on this track, and Sainz’s strategic and calm approach was yielding a massive payoff. With his fresher tyres, he managed to extend his lead on Leclerc to nine seconds before Leclerc went back to pit at the end of lap 34.
Sainz made his last pit stop at lap 41, re-entering the race as the leader with a significant lead over Leclerc, who was in second position at the time. His fresh tyres allowed him to cruise comfortably to the finish line, bagging a well-deserved win. The race concluded under the virtual safety car after Russell crashed into the wall while attempting to overtake Fernando Alonso, who looked like he was slowing down during the sixth and seventh turns.
After scrutinising the incident, the stewards levied a drive-through penalty on Alonso, subsequently converted to a 20-second penalty. This penalty led to a drop in his rank from sixth to eighth due to what has been termed “potentially dangerous driving”. Consequently, Aston Martin’s Stroll moved up to sixth position and RB’s Tsunoda to seventh, while Haas’s Nico Hülkenberg and Kevin Magnussen ended up in ninth and tenth positions respectively. The home race turned out to be a disappointment for Ricciardo, who hails from Australia, as he could only secure the 12th position. – Guardian