Carlos Sainz secured a dominant victory in the Australian Grand Prix, with teammate Charles Leclerc joining him on the podium, as Max Verstappen retired early and Mercedes suffered a double DNF.
Pole sitter Verstappen led into Turn 1 smoothly, but after DRS activation on lap 2, Sainz, starting second, quickly closed in and overtook the Red Bull with ease. The Dutchman reported a loss of power to his team, who replied that it was no concern, suggesting there was still a long way to go. However, on lap 4, smoke started coming from Verstappen’s right rear wheel, indicating an issue, and he had to slow down. When he returned to the pits, his right rear axle caught fire, forcing him to retire. From there, the race was in Sainz’s control.
Melbourne was warmer on race day, and Albert Park is known for high tire degradation. Many drivers pitted early, including Lewis Hamilton, who didn’t qualify for Q3. The Brit started on softs and gained a position in the first lap. After switching to hards, he ran wide at Turn 2. However, a bigger disaster awaited the seven-time world champion. On lap 17, his engine let out a loud noise after Turn 10, and he was forced to stop on track, retiring from the race.
As several drivers, including Leclerc, made their first stops, Sainz extended his first stint, running seven laps longer than his teammate before swapping to hard tires on lap 16. Hamilton’s retirement brought out a brief virtual safety car, allowing Fernando Alonso, who started on hards, to pit without losing a lap. Nevertheless, the two Ferraris remained in first and second, with the two McLarens in third and fourth.
Midway through the race, McLaren instructed Lando Norris to pass home favorite Oscar Piastri. However, neither driver could get close to the Ferraris. After the second round of pit stops, Sainz comfortably led Leclerc. With three laps remaining, Sainz informed his team that his tires were worn, while Leclerc set the fastest lap of the race on the same lap.
Heading into the final two laps, George Russell, who was chasing Alonso, lost control of his car at Turn 6, crashing onto the opposite side gravel trap. The Briton emerged unscathed from the incident, but the virtual safety car was deployed and remained until the end of the race.
Sainz claimed his third career victory and third for Ferrari, despite knowing that he will be replaced by Hamilton at the end of the season. Leclerc finished comfortably in second, securing Ferrari’s first 1-2 finish since the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix.
Norris failed to challenge the Ferrari drivers, finishing 3.5 seconds behind Leclerc for his 13th career podium. Piastri took fourth, equaling the best result for an Australian driver in their home race.
After Verstappen’s retirement, Sergio Perez was left to fight alone for Red Bull but was unable to match the pace of the Ferraris and McLarens, settling for fifth. Alonso, under pressure from Russell, held off his teammate Lance Stroll to secure sixth and seventh for Aston Martin. Yuki Tsunoda, starting eighth, finished in the same position, scoring points for AlphaTauri in their first race under the new identity.
Haas secured consecutive points finishes, with Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen both in the top 10. Despite Tsunoda’s better result, Red Bull overtook the American team in the constructors’ standings, taking sixth place.
Logan Sargent was sacrificed by Williams, allowing Alex Albon to use the team’s only available chassis for qualifying and the race. The Thai driver attempted to overtake Magnussen but was unsuccessful, finishing 0.928 seconds behind in 11th.
Daniel Ricciardo finished 12th in his first home race return. Pierre Gasly, despite a 5-second penalty for leaving his box too early, finished ahead of the two Sauber cars. The Swiss team experienced issues for the third consecutive race, with both cars encountering equipment failures during pit stops.
Valtteri Bottas faced another pit stop issue when his left front wheel couldn’t be fitted promptly, similar to previous races’ tire tool malfunctions. Zhou Guanyu, running in 12th, pitted on lap 35, but his car’s steering system malfunctioned, requiring a restart, which cost him valuable time. After a difficult restart, he reported to the team that he had no gears during the pit stop.
Esteban Ocon’s race was also plagued by problems when a loose visor strip from another driver’s helmet entered his wheels, necessitating an early second stop. Russell, who was classified 17th despite the remaining two laps, was summoned by the stewards following his accident. It marked the first time since the 2018 Austrian Grand Prix that both Mercedes cars failed to finish.
Post-race, Alonso and Russell were called to see the stewards due to the latter’s incident. Despite his retirement, Verstappen remains atop the drivers’ standings, but Leclerc’s two consecutive podiums have narrowed the gap to just four points. Perez occupies third place, while Sainz’s win puts him on 40 points. In the constructors’ championship, Ferrari trails Red Bull by only four points, with McLaren in third and Aston Martin, thanks to its double points finish in Melbourne, overtaking Mercedes for fourth place.