Historic Win Down Under: Sainz Leads Ferrari to Victory in Australian Grand Prix



After a brake explosion halted Max Verstappen's campaign after just four laps, the world champion drove a flawless race to win the Australian Grand Prix for Ferrari.

With his contract expiring at the end of the season and still recovering from appendix surgery, Sainz's victory was a miraculous return. In Albert Park, Sainz's outstanding driving allowed him to pass teammate Charles Leclerc for second place, marking Ferrari's first one-two finish since Bahrain in 2022.

Lando Norris of McLaren finished third, and Oscar Piastri, his Australian teammate, had an incredible performance to finish fourth. An engine issue forced Lewis Hamilton, who will take over for Sainz at Ferrari, to retire at the end of a challenging weekend. His teammate George Russell also crashed out on the last lap, adding insult to injury for Mercedes. Red Bull's Sergio Pérez finished fifth.

After starting second behind Verstappen, Sainz made the most of the Dutchman's misfortune by maintaining a steady lead. The world champion's nine-race winning streak came to an abrupt end when he was forced to retire from the lead due to a right rear brake failure that resulted in an explosion and flames.

When Verstappen got out of the car after suffering a technical problem that resulted in his first retirement since Australia 2022, it was obvious that he was upset. Verstappen stated, "We can observe that the right rear brake was stuck on when the lights went out, so it was essentially driving with the handbrake on." The group still hasn't provided an explanation for the issue's root cause.

This was an amazing victory for Sainz. Just two weeks ago, the Spaniard had appendicitis and had to withdraw from the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. He had surgery for it. He lost many kilograms of weight, is still recovering, was unable to finish the pre-race workout routine and simulator work, and acknowledged that dealing with Albert Park's strong G-forces following the operation presented a special challenge.

"This is incredible. Life is incredible and a rollercoaster, according to Sainz.

With this victory, Sainz begins his season in the kind of bold and aggressive declaration of intent that the Spanish driver sorely needed. He did a great job in Melbourne, and he is motivated to push his case for a solid seat next season. With Ferrari demonstrating such competitive race pace and delivering with an operational calm control and assurance that was frequently lacking in the previous season, Sainz and the team can take tremendous heart from this performance.

Last season, Sainz was the only driver to defeat Red Bull with a victory in Singapore, and he's the first to do so this year as well. It is his third career victory; he claimed his first in Australia and his second in the British Grand Prix in 2022.

Verstappen had led Sainz into the first turn, but on lap two, DRS allowed the Spaniard to pass and seize the lead, which he did, to the cheers of the cheering spectators at turn nine.

Verstappen said the car was "loose," claiming he lost control of the rear end and skidded at turns seven and eight, allowing Sainz to pass. It was obvious he had a problem when smoke started to billow from the back of the car and started to drift backward through the field. On the third lap, Verstappen limped to the pit and told the crew, "I have smoke, fire, fire, brake."

Verstappen's right rear brake burst into a cloud of dust and smoke as he was approaching the pits. When he got inside the pit box, the brake caught fire and ignited his tire. The automobile was promptly put into retirement.

The race was wide open with Sainz leading from Norris and Leclerc, and Pérez coming in sixth. The world champion was not present. Leclerc's pit stop on lap 10 marked the start of the first pit stops.

But Sainz appeared to be in complete control at the front of the pack, content to use his rubber to remain out for a long time and build a comfortable eight-second lead over Norris, who pitted and was overtaken by Piastri, who moved up to fourth.

Following Sainz's pit stop at the end of lap 16, Hamilton experienced an engine problem on lap 17, forcing him to withdraw from the race and bringing out the virtual safety car to cap off a disappointing weekend for the British driver. On lap 29, McLaren pushed Piastri aside for Norris, who had fresher tires, and the Spaniard resumed in the lead, a lap later than Leclerc in second place.

Sainz's calm and collected approach was paying off handsomely on a course where tire management is usually crucial. By the time Ferrari pitted the Monegasque driver again on lap 34, he had built up a nine-second advantage over Leclerc thanks to new tires.

After Russell lost his rear end and collided with the wall while closing on Fernando Alonso at turns six and seven, Sainz made his final pit stop on lap forty-one, rejoining in the lead with a comfortable advantage over Leclerc and the tyres to cruise to the finish line for a well-deserved victory under the VSC.

For Aston Martin, Alonso came in sixth and Lance Stroll eighth. Yuki Tsunoda for RB in position eight, Nico Hülkenberg and Kevin Magnussen for Haas in positions nine and ten. Daniel Ricciardo's home race was one to forget, as the Australian finished just thirteenth.


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