Verstappen out
Australian Grand Prix LIVE from 5 a.m.
After nine races of Red Bull dominance and just as many victories for Max Verstappen, Ferrari returned to Formula 1 success on Sunday. After Verstappen had retired after just a few minutes in Melbourne, the Scuderia even managed a one-two victory with Spaniard Carlos Sainz and Monegasque Charles Leclerc - the first since Bahrain 2022. Briton Lando Norris in the McLaren came third, while team-mate Oscar Piastri from Australia finished fourth.
"We've got it!" shouted Sainz over the pit radio. "Life is a rollercoaster ride. Life is incredible sometimes," said the 29-year-old after missing the race in Saudi Arabia two weeks ago due to an appendectomy. He therefore recommends everyone to have their appendix removed, he joked.
"It was a really good race, physically it wasn't the easiest, but I was mostly on my own so I could control the pace and the tires," Sainz analyzed after his third victory in Formula 1 after Great Britain 2022 and Singapore 2023. "Carlos had an incredible weekend, coming back from his operation like that. He drove a great race," said Leclerc. "Carlos did a better job all weekend and deserved to win."
Norris "happy and proud"
Norris was satisfied: "I'm very happy and proud of the team. We almost had Charles. I think our pace was better, but he undercut us in the first stint." However, he said it was still another step up on Ferrari and Red Bull for McLaren. "We need to catch up, but it's clear we're getting closer."
Verstappen out early
World champion Verstappen had to retire from the Australian Grand Prix after just five laps due to a technical issue. The Dutchman, who started from pole position, won the start but lost the lead on lap 2 to Sainz, who overtook him shortly before turn 9. Even then, the Red Bull, which had seemed indestructible for so long, apparently had a problem. Verstappen complained that he had "lost the car" before smoke rose from the area of the rear right brake.
"It's smoking, blue smoke, fire. Fire," he reported over the team radio. Verstappen gradually lost speed and returned to the pits, where the crew hurriedly extinguished a fire and the 26-year-old got out of the car. It was Verstappen's first retirement since the race at Albert Park two years ago. And it also put an end to his season-long winning streak.
"We can see in the data that the right rear brake was already stuck at the start," explained the Dutchman in an interview afterwards. "Of course, the temperature continued to rise. So I was basically driving with the handbrake on, and that's why I had the feeling that the car was really strange to drive in some corners."
Victory now seemed to be on a platter for Sainz and Ferrari, especially as potentially fast Verstappen team-mate Sergio Perez was unable to get off the mark. The Mexican had only started from sixth position following a penalty. Sainz dictated the pace at the front and set several fastest laps. Hot on his heels was his team-mate Leclerc, followed by the McLaren.
Hamilton and (!) Russell out
On lap 17, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, who will drive for Ferrari from 2025, also retired from the race. Race control activated the virtual safety car for a short time after the Briton's engine failure, but this had no decisive consequences. After a heavy impact from Hamilton's stablemate George Russell, the race also came to an end during a virtual safety car phase.
The result:
Perez only finished fifth, Fernando Alonso (subsequently given a 20-second penalty) was eighth in the Aston Martin. Behind Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) and Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls), the two Haas drivers Nico Hülkenberg and Kevin Magnussen also scored points. All is still well for Red Bull in the overall standings: Verstappen continues to lead, with Perez in second.
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