Hope briefly flickered at the 2024 Australian Grand Prix when Max Verstappen encountered a brake failure early in the race, paving the way for Carlos Sainz to claim victory. Sainz, who had returned to Ferrari after missing the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix due to appendicitis surgery, admitted to feeling slightly rusty but managed to seize the lead on lap 2 by daring to overtake Verstappen. However, Verstappen’s race took a dramatic turn on lap 5 when his right brake disc exploded in a cloud of smoke as he entered the pits to retire.
Verstappen’s retirement marked the end of a remarkable 2-year, 43-race finishing streak, relinquishing control of the race to Sainz. Sainz calmly seized the opportunity and maintained a commanding lead throughout the 58-lap race.
Sainz led Ferrari to a 1-2 finish, with Lando Norris securing the final spot on the podium just over 3 seconds behind him. Meanwhile, Norris’s McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri, trailed in a distant 4th place, over 29 seconds adrift.
One notable non-finisher was George Russell, who crashed out on the final lap while engaged in a battle with Fernando Alonso for 6th place. Alonso, however, was later penalized for instigating the crash at the high-speed turn 6, as he intentionally slowed down to gain a better exit onto the subsequent straight.
La técnica clásica de Alonso de hacer la curva más lenta para salir con más velocidad que el adversario.
— NanoGrifo (@NanoGrifo) March 24, 2024
Lo mismo le ha hecho a todos. A Schumacher, Vettel, Hamilton, Checo…
Russell lo ha intentado y ha fallado.
El mejor de todos los tiempos. 🐐🪄pic.twitter.com/nCwC8FgMFT
Russell was caught off guard by the closing speed, causing him to lose control. His car skidded across the gravel trap, eventually returning to the track albeit tipped onto its side, resulting in severe damage to the left side suspension and wheels due to the significant speed and force of the impact. Despite the dramatic incident, Russell emerged unscathed and thankfully uninjured.
It was undeniably a grim day for Mercedes at the Australian Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton’s race came to an abrupt halt on lap 17 following an engine failure, adding to the team’s woes. This retirement marked a dismal start to the season for Mercedes, highlighting their ongoing struggle to harness the full potential of the W15.
However, Ferrari secured a well-deserved and gratifying victory putting an end to the monotonous dominance that Red Bull Racing has held over Formula 1. Nevertheless, this triumph may prove to be a fleeting moment of brightness, as one can anticipate Red Bull and Max Verstappen approaching the Japanese Grand Prix with resolute vengeance in their minds.
2024 Australian Grand Prix: Race Results
1 Carlos SAINZ 1:20:26.843 58 laps
2 Charles LECLERC +2.366
3 Lando NORRIS +5.904
4 Oscar PIASTRI +35.770
5 Sergio PEREZ +56.309
6 Fernando ALONSO +63.894
7 Lance STROLL +84.818
8 Yuki TSUNODA +92.922
9 Nico HULKENBERG +106.684
10 Kevin MAGNUSSEN +1 lap
11 Alexander ALBON +1 lap
12 Daniel RICCIARDO +1 lap
13 Pierre GASLY +1 lap
14 Valtteri BOTTAS +1 lap
15 Guanyu ZHOU +1 lap
16 Esteban OCON +1 lap
17 George Russell Mercedes +1 Lap
18 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes DNF 19
19 Max Verstappen Red Bull DNF
