Carlos Sainz led Charles Leclerc as Ferrari sealed a one-two at the Australian Grand Prix following the early retirement of world championship leader Max Verstappen.
Verstappen was attempting to equal his own record 10-race winning streak as he started from pole position in Melbourne, but completed only three laps before the brakes on his Red Bull caught fire and forced him out of the contest.
Sainz, returning to action having missed the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after undergoing appendix surgery little more than two weeks earlier, took full advantage of the opportunity as he calmly controlled the race from the front to stay clear of Leclerc.
The Spaniard, who ended Verstappen’s record streak in Singapore last year, is the only driver other than the Dutchman to have won any of the last 21 F1 races.
Lando Norris took third to claim his first podium of the season ahead of McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri, while Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez was unable to apply pressure to the leaders as he took fifth.
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Max Verstappen limps back into the garage and is out of the Australian Grand Prix as smoke pours out of his Red Bull!
Fernando Alonso benefitted from pitting under a virtual safety car caused by the retirement of Lewis Hamilton on lap 17 to take sixth, while the Brit’s team-mate George Russell completed a double DNF for Mercedes by crashing out on the final lap when chasing the Aston Martin.
The incident that saw Russell crash out remained under investigation after the race, with both he and Alonso called to the stewards amid suggestions Mercedes felt the Aston Martin driver ‘brake-tested’ the Brit.
Lance Stroll took seventh behind his team-mate, as Yuki Tsunoda completed an impressive weekend by claiming eighth for RB.
Haas duo Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen completed the top 10, scoring crucial Constructors’ Championship points for the team.
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Lewis Hamilton reports an engine failure and retires from a chaotic Australian Grand Prix!
Verstappen, seeking a fourth successive drivers’ title, remains top of the standings but leads Leclerc, who claimed an extra point for setting the fastest lap of the race, by just four points, with Perez a further point back in third.
Sainz is 11 points back from Verstappen in fourth, but would likely be the world championship leader had it not been for his absence from round two in Jeddah. Ferrari have closed to within four points of Red Bull at the top of the constructors’ standings.
Sainz completes remarkable return from surgery
Sainz had arrived in Melbourne unsure of whether he would be able to complete the weekend having spent much of the time in bed recovering since having an appendectomy.
The 29-year-old got through Friday practice before ramping up his performance to take second on the grid on Saturday, but how he would fare over the full 58-lap race distance remained in question.
He ultimately showed no ill-effects, pouncing to overtake Verstappen on the second lap as the Dutchman’s developing brake issue left the Red Bull vulnerable.
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Sainz sensationally overtakes Verstappen to take the lead in Melbourne
From there, Sainz’s victory never looked in doubt, as he eased clear of Lando Norris, before continuing to build his lead once team-mate Leclerc had leapfrogged the McLaren during the first round of pit stops.
Sainz was able to run the longest of the leaders on the first stint, which gave him the advantage of having fresher tyres from there on.
Leclerc, who claimed third in Saudi Arabia in Sainz’s absence, drove a solid race having started from fourth to seal Ferrari’s first one-two since the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix, but was unable to pressure his team-mate.
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Karun Chandhok was at the SkyPad to look at whether Fernando Alonso caused Russell’s huge crash on the final lap
Sainz’s hugely impressive start to the season comes after Ferrari decided to replace him with Hamilton for the 2025 season, a decision that could come under scrutiny should the Spaniard maintain his sublime form.
His performances are swiftly establishing him as perhaps the prime free agent for the 2025 driver market, with Mercedes needing a replacement for Hamilton, and Perez’s Red Bull contract expiring.
Verstappen retirement gives rivals hope
The way Red Bull had dominated the opening two races as Verstappen led one-twos from Perez in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia had raised concerns the reigning constructors’ champions could go one better than last season when they won all but one of the 22 grands prix.
The fears of Red Bull’s rivals were only heightened when Verstappen put an unconvincing practice showing behind him to comfortably seal pole on Saturday.
All seemed well as the Dutchman got a clean start to hold the lead at the first corner, but Sainz stayed just within a second on the opening lap to remain within DRS range and striking zone.
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Verstappen explains what went wrong on his Red Bull after retiring from the Australian Grand Prix
It was at that point things suddenly went wrong for Verstappen, with signs of trouble first appearing as Sainz swept around the outside of the RB20 in the DRS zone on the approach to Turn 9 to take the lead.
It quickly became clear Verstappen had a major issue, as smoke started to emerge from the rear of his car, before he eventually slowed down and dropped through the field.
“What we can see so far from the data is that as soon as the lights went off the right-rear brake just stuck on,” Verstappen told Sky Sports F1.
“It just caused the damage and it kept on increasing so it was also basically driving with the handbrake on.”
He, perhaps unwisely, brought the car all the way back to the pits as parts flew off amid mini explosions as the fire at the right rear of the car gathered intensity.
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Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says Verstappen’s frustration after his DNF in Australia was understandable and they will learn lessons from the brake issue
While Verstappen’s driving over the past two seasons has been near faultless, his remarkable dominance has been aided by brilliant Red Bull reliability, which has seen him go 43 races without a DNF, the last of which happened to come at the same circuit in 2022.
With Perez also unable to trouble Ferrari and McLaren, neutrals will hope the result signals that a more competitive title battle is ahead in the sport’s longest ever season of 24 races.
However, there is little doubt that Verstappen will start as favourite when the season resumes in two weeks’ time at the Japanese Grand Prix, at a Suzuka circuit that has been one of Red Bull’s best in recent years.
Formula 1’s biggest ever season continues with the Japanese Grand Prix, live on Sky Sports F1 from April 5-7. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime
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