Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz gained the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday in a triumphant return two weeks after appendicitis surgical procedure as Purple Bull’s world champion Max Verstappen suffered his first retirement in two years.
Sainz, the one non-Purple Bull driver to win a race final season, held off crew mate Charles Leclerc earlier than a final-lap crash by Mercedes driver George Russell triggered a digital security automobile and eased the Spaniard’s path to victory.
“It was a extremely good race. I felt actually good on the market,” stated Sainz, who missed the second race of the season in Saudi Arabia whereas recovering from surgical procedure.
“After all a bit stiff and particularly bodily it wasn’t the simplest however I used to be fortunate that I used to be roughly by myself and I might handle my tempo, handle the tyres, handle every thing, and it wasn’t the hardest race of all.
“However very joyful, very happy with the crew, and joyful to be in a one-two with Charles right here.”
Briton Lando Norris was third for McLaren, thwarting fourth-placed crew mate Oscar Piastri’s hopes of a primary podium by a house driver at Australia’s F1 race.
Norris now has probably the most podiums (14) and not using a win in F1.
Leclerc recorded the quickest lap to cap a productive day for Ferrari, who at the moment are simply 4 factors behind Purple Bull within the constructors’ championship.
Verstappen nonetheless leads the drivers championship after his wins in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, the Dutchman on 51 factors forward of Leclerc with 47.
Purple Bull’s Sergio Perez, who completed fifth, is one level additional adrift of Leclerc, with Sainz leaping to fourth within the standings, 11 factors behind Verstappen.
“We simply didn’t have the tempo in the present day. We didn’t have the tempo all through the weekend,” lamented Perez, including that Ferrari would “completely” have gained even when Verstappen went the space.
Verstappen began on pole for the third time this season however retired on the fourth lap with a brake drawback as flames leaped out of the appropriate rear of his automobile.
It was his first DNF since retiring from Albert Park within the 2022 race and ended his run of 9 successive race wins.
The 26-year-old stated he was principally driving with the handbrake on from the beginning.
“That’s why already it felt the automobile was actually bizarre to drive in some corners. It was simply very snappy,” he added.
Purple Bull have now suffered two defeats in 26 races courting again to the final spherical of 2022.
Seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton was additionally pressured to retire early with an influence unit drawback after beginning eleventh on the grid following his worst Melbourne qualifying since 2010.
His crew mate Russell accomplished a dismal day for the Silver Arrows by skidding into gravel at flip six and crashing into the barrier to wreck his automobile and convey out the digital security automobile.
Stewards stated Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso performed an element in Russell’s crash by slowing rapidly as Russell was shut behind.
Alonso, who completed sixth, was given a 20-second penalty which demoted him to eighth and was additionally handed three penalty factors.
That lifted crew mate Lance Stroll to sixth and Yuki Tsunoda to seventh, the Japanese driver delivering RB their first factors of the season.
Ninth-placed Nico Hulkenberg and Haas crew mate Kevin Magnussen rounded out the highest 10.
Williams had just one driver within the race, with Alex Albon ending eleventh and out of the factors in his crew mate Logan Sargeant’s automobile, the American ordered to make approach after Albon wrecked his personal automobile in Friday apply.
