Ferrari took home a one-two after an eventful event Australian Grand Prix held on Sunday in Melbourne Albert Park Circuit.
Carlos Sainz, in his first race since recent appendicitis surgery, was first across the finish line, with Charles Leclerc finishing just over two seconds behind. Completing the top three was McLaren’s Lando Norris, approximately six seconds behind the winner.
The race, which served as the third round of the 2024 Formula 1 World Championship, started like any weekend in recent seasons, with defending champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing in pole position, and Sainz also at the front of the grid. .
Verstappen made a smooth start and was soon building a lead when problems arose with his car. When Verstappen slipped on a corner, Sainz was able to make a move and take the lead. Moments later, clouds of smoke began to appear from the back of Verstappen’s car and he soon retired. It was later determined that there was a brake problem with the car. It was the first time the three-time champion had failed to finish a race since the 2022 Australian Grand Prix, when he was sidelined by a fuel system problem.
2024 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix
Leclerc at this point was third in the race, with Norris sharing the two Ferrari men. A successful slowdown on lap nine put Leclerc ahead of Norris, and he drove brilliantly in the final stretch to keep the position clear of Norris, who was on newer tires at the time.
Fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri also successfully completed an undercut on Norris during the initial round of pit stops, but would later return the position on team orders. Piastri also went off the track at one point, leaving him in fourth place at the end. Completing the top five was Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, who had to deal with some traffic after starting sixth due to a three-place grid penalty received for holding up Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg during qualifying.
The weekend turned out to be bad for Mercedes-Benz AMG. Star driver Lewis Hamilton retired on lap 17 with a power unit failure, and his teammate George Russell suffered a major accident on the final lap, which ended the race under the virtual safety car. Russell crashed after passing Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso into sixth place. The stewards later ruled that Alonso had a role in the incident and gave him a 20-second penalty.
After the weekend’s action, Verstappen still leads the 2024 Drivers’ Championship with 51 points. Leclerc overtook Perez and moved into second place on 47 points, with Perez just one point behind. In the Constructors’ Championship, Red Bull leads with 97 points, against 93 for Ferrari and 55 for McLaren. The next race on the calendar is the Japanese Grand Prix in two weeks.
Carlos Sainz at the 2024 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix
Below are the full results from the 2024 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix:
1) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
2) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari +2.366 seconds
3) Lando Norris, McLaren +5.904 seconds
4) Oscar Piastri, McLaren +35.770 seconds
5) Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing +56.309 seconds
6) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin +93.222 seconds
7) Yuki Tsunoda, RB +95.601 seconds
8) Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin +100.992 seconds
9) Nico Hulkenberg, Haas +104.553 seconds
10) Kevin Magnussen, Haas +1 lap
11) Alexander Albon, Williams +1 lap
12) Daniel Ricciardo, RB +1 lap
13) Pierre Gasly, Alpine +1 lap
14) Valtteri Bottas, Sauber +1 lap
15) Zhou Guanyu, Sauber +1 lap
16) Esteban Ocon, Alpine +1 lap
17) George Russell, Mercedes-Benz AMG – DNF
NC) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-Benz AMG – DNF
NC) Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing – DNF
