Australian Grand Prix: Scuderia Ferrari does the double
Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc took advantage of Max Verstappen's retirement to shine in Australia (Photo ©Scuderia Ferrari)
Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) won the race ahead of Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) and Lando Norris (McLaren).
He couldn’t have wished for a better comeback. After missing the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix following an appendectomy just a fortnight ago, the Spanish driver pulled off an unbelievable result in Melbourne: the top step on the podium.
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Carlos Sainz was quick to take advantage of Max Verstappen’s retirement due to a problem with his right rear brake, which caught fire on the fourth lap of the race. The first time the Dutchman has had to pull out of a race since 10 April 2022.
Starting from second on the grid, Carlos Sainz showed he meant business from the outset, overtaking the three-time world champion on the second lap before his mechanical problems.
And after the Dutchman retired, the Spaniard handled his race, his tyres and his lead perfectly to fend off Charles Leclerc, who had started in 5th on the grid, enabling Scuderia Ferrari to celebrate its first one-two since the 2022 Bahrain GP.
The first Ferrari double since 2022
Behind the two Ferraris, came the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in his home race, in third and fourth respectively.
“It’s great for the team, it’s our first one-two since Bahrain 2022 so it’s great to be able to pull it off. Carlos (Sainz) had an incredible weekend,” said the Monegasque driver with a smile.
Personally, I struggled with the tyres during the second part of the race. I did what I could. But Carlos did a better job than me and clearly deserves the win. I’m very happy for him and for the team, because we’re chalking up major points. We wanted to maximise our chances of points this weekend, and we couldn’t have done any better.”
The next event is the Japanese Grand Prix on 7 April at Suzuka.