Ferrari won the Australian Grand Prix with Sainz, second Leclerc.Verstappen forced to retire due to mechanical problems.
Only nine days after being bedridden due to an appendectomy, Carlos Sainz did not even imagine he would be able to participate in the Australian Grand Prix. Still, we find him in Melbourne, enthusiastically greeted by the public as he exits his car to celebrate a decidedly unexpected Ferrari vin. It had not happened for 2 years that the Maranello stable came first and second in a Gp.
For the Spanish pilot, this success has special significance. Freshly recovered from surgery, Sainz led the new Ferrari to victory, effectively breaking the string of triumphs of world champion Max Verstappen, who retired due to brake problems in his Red Bull.
Sainz, who will be replaced at Ferrari from 2025 by seven-time world champion Levis Hamilton, responded in high spirits, earning a podium finish in the opening race in Bahrain. Bad luck, however, was not slow to hit him again, forcing him to retire from the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix due to appendicitis two weeks later.
After the surgery, the second driver of the Maranello Red car despite not being comletely healed returned to the track for the Australian GP, (one of the most demanding circuits in Formula 1 races) making himself fully available to the team
Carlos Sainz’s F1 victory interrupts Vertsappen’s hegemony, which in any case since the start of the championship already has a 4-point lead over Leclerc. Below is the drivers’ standings for the 2024 Formula 1 GP.
VERTSAPPEN RED BULL 51
LECLERC FERRARI 47
SERGIO PEREZ RED BULL 46
CARLOS SAINZ FERRARI 40
OSCAR PIASTRI MC LAREN 28
LANDO NORRES MCLAREN 27
GEORGE RUSSEL MERCEDES 18
FERNANDO ALONSO ASTON MARTIN 16
LANCEN STROLL ASTON MARTIN 9
LEWIS HAMILTON MERCEDES 8
In summary, it is too early to tell but the new Ferrari seems to be a performance car compared to last season’s car. However, fans of the redhead in Italy still wonder why the 29-year-old Sainz is being turned away to let in a 42-year-old driver.
