F1 Australian Grand Prix: Ferrari's Carlos Sainz Wins in Melbourne; Verstappen, Hamilton Retire

At the Albert Park Circuit, Sainz emerged victorious over both Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris, seizing the lead after polesitter Max Verstappen's unfortunate early retirement due to mechanical issues.

By Divyam Dubey | on March 24, 2024 Follow us on Autox Google News

At the F1 Australian Grand Prix, Verstappen's sudden withdrawal set the scenario for a thrilling duel, which Sainz brilliantly won in his return race after appendix surgery. After missing the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix just two weeks ago, Sainz dropped Verstappen on the second lap and immediately established his domination. Unfortunately, Verstappen's optimism was shattered as his RB20 had an unexpected mechanical failure, sending him tumbling back to the pits in a cloud of smoke. Not finishing meant that Verstappen missed out on the chance to equal his record with ten straight victories, marking his first DNF in two years. In addition to ending Red Bull's perfect season, Sainz won his third Formula One race of his career with impressive work.

F1 Australian Grand Prix: Race Result

In Verstappen's absence, Sainz slowly extended his advantage over Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc, and Oscar Piastri. He won his third Formula 1 race after a dominant effort. Leclerc, meanwhile, scored Ferrari's first one-two result since the 2022 season. However, this was still not enough to prevent Norris and McLaren from achieving their first podium of the season.

F1 Ferrari Carlos Sianz

At the first pit stop, Piastri passed Norris, but he was told to give way to his teammate. After that, he lost position because of an off-track detour, and he finished in a lonely fourth place, ahead of Sergio Perez in the Red Bull. George Russell crashed at the high-speed Turn 6/7 combination while trying to pass Fernando Alonso for sixth, damaging his Mercedes and leading to a Virtual Safety Car period till the race's finale.

Pos Driver Team Time Points
1 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 20:26.8 25
2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari +2.366s 19
3 Lando Norris McLaren  +5.904s 15
4 Oscar Piastri McLaren  +35.770s 12
5 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing  +56.309s 10
6 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin  +80.992s 8
7 Lance Stroll Aston Martin  +93.222s 6
8 Yuki Tsunoda VCARB  +95.601s 4
9 Nico Hulkenberg Haas  +104.553s 2
10 Kevin Magnussen Haas  +1 lap 1
11 Alexander Albon Williams  +1 lap 0
12 Daniel Ricciardo VCARB  +1 lap 0
13 Pierre Gasly Alpine  +1 lap 0
14 Valtteri Bottas Kick Sauber  +1 lap 0
15 Zhou Guanyu Kick Sauber  +1 lap 0
16 Esteban Ocon Alpine  +1 lap 0
17 George Russell Mercedes DNF 0
18 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes DNF 0
19 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing DNF 0

Lance Stroll took the seventh position after Russell's mishap, putting two Aston Martins in the points, while Yuki Tsunoda gave VCARB their first points of the season in eighth. Haas scored well with Nico Hulkenberg ninth and Kevin Magnussen tenth.

F1 Australian Grand Prix: Verstappen Car trouble

After the Australian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen said that he had to retire early due to a problem with his right-rear brake. According to the driver, the problem had been there since the race had begun. Not long after that, Verstappen's RB20 started smoking, forcing the Dutch driver to carefully make his way back to the pits. This was his first retirement from a race in two years.

This defeat ends Verstappen's remarkable winning run that began after the Singapore Grand Prix last year. He had already won his past nine races and was aiming to tie last year's record-setting 10-race streak. After Verstappen retired due to a problem with the rear brakes, Red Bull confirmed the event and began investigating.

When asked about the RB20 problem by the media after retirement, Verstappen said that the problem was noticeable as soon as the race started. He claims that when the lights went out, the right rear brake seized, leading to an increase in rear brake temperature, which the crew saw in the data. Noting the unusual handling, especially in certain corners, Verstappen compared driving the vehicle to manoeuvring with the brakes applied.

This was his max Verstappen's first retirement from a race in two years.

Tags: Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix F1 Australian Grand Prix Race result

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