Formula 1: Sainz dominates in Melbourne, Ferrari 1-2

Carlos Sainz, ahead of teammate Charles LeClerc,took the first non-Red Bull victory in Formula 1 on Sunday as the team capitalized on the opportunity after Max Verstappen retired on lap 5 of the event with a technical failure for the first time since the 2022 Australian Grand Prix. The Maranello squad performed flawlessly as Sainz commanded the race after passing Verstappen on lap 2 after the Dutchman suffered a compromised lap as the rear of his RB20 began to slide and lose rear grip un the mid-speed turns.

From there, as Sainz began to drive away as LeClerc and the duo of McLaren drivers attacked the opportunity to overtake a suddenly stricken Red Bull. Then on lap 5 the right rear brake of Verstappen erupted in flame, melting the brake caliper and wheel hub as Verstappen retired the car in pit lane. With half of the teams hope for victory gone, Red Bull turned their attention the the incredibly quick, but far-behind, Sergio Perez to see if the team could salvage a podium. Perez however, mired in traffic with the Mercedes of George Russell and the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso, was unable to mount much of an attack as both Ferrari’s and McLaren’s speared off to finish in the first four positions ahead of Perez in fifth.

Lewis Hamilton continued his miserable weekend as a power unit failure on lap 15 saw the Mercedes driver retire for the first time since last years Qatar Grand Prix, making this the first double retirement for Hamilton and Verstappen since the infamous Italian Grand Prix in 2021 that saw the Red Bull driver park his RB16B on top of the Mercedes in a turn 1 collision.

HIGHLIGHTS: Relive the action from a dramatic Australian Grand Prix as Sainz wins while Verstappen retires

From here to the final lap the race was essentially distilled down to a stint-strategy as Ferrari and McLaren played cat-and-mouse to force one another to call the bluff and pit too soon. Further down the field a battle between the Williams of Alex Albon and the Haas team began to unfold as Haas switched the order of their drivers to allow Hulkenberg to attack Albon for 10th place. As the laps wound down, the ploy by the team proved to be valuable as they scored their first double-points of 2024 in 9th and 10th place as Albon was left out of the points in 11th.,

But the final lap of the race proved to be costly for two drivers in particular as George Russell and Fernando Alonso battle for position. As both drivers started their final lap, the Mercedes driver attempted an overtake in turns 6 and 7 that saw him lose control int he gravel, sending him into the tires and catapulting the car back across the racing line and sliding to a halt in the middle of the track on its side. Russell was unhurt, but would go on to double DNF with teammate Hamilton. Alonso, as noted by the stewards, was given a post-race 20-sec time penalty for his role in the incident. While the two cars never touched, the stewards felt that Alonso’s erratic driving behavior created a potentially dangerous environment that led to the Mercedes crash. His penalty would drop him to 8th place, behind Stroll and Tsunoda.

With Verstappen’s retirement, the top three drivers in the standings are only separated by 5 points, as Verstappen leads from LeClerc and Perez. The race win broke Verstappen’s latest string of race wins, with 10 in a row, as Sainz once again proves his worth as the only driver to break the string of victories of Verstappen for the 2nd time in as many years.

Check out the below for all of our recaps and reports.

FP1 Report – CLICK HERE

FP2 Report – CLICK HERE

FP3 Report – CLICK HERE

Qualifying Report – CLICK HERE

FORMULA 1 ROLEX AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX 2024 Race Results:

Formula 1 continues its string of “fly-away” races in two weeks time for the ever popular Japanese Grand Prix. Hosted at the famous Suzuka International Circuit, the fast and twisty track is a favorite amongst drivers and fans alike. Full weekend schedule is below.

FORMULA 1 MSC CRUISES JAPANESE GRAND PRIX 2024 Schedule