The Australian Grand Prix unveiled the most interesting race of the season. Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz gave a smooth performance, making the first non-Red Bull win of the season. Both the world champions, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, did not finish the race in Melbourne.
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Carlos Sainz’s pole position and Max Verstappen’s terrible weekend at the Australian Grand Prix
The smooth operator made a comeback to the grid by taking the pole position in the Australian Grand Prix.
Sainz had appendicitis surgery 2 weeks before the race in Saudi Arabia, he made the most amazing comeback by challenging the dominating Red Bull driver Max Verstappen and took the lead from him from the 2nd lap, while Verstappen retired from the race during the 3rd lap due to brake issues.
“Life sometimes is crazy, what happened at the beginning of the year, then the podium in Bahrain, then the appendix, the comeback, the win… it’s a rollercoaster but I loved it and I’m extremely happy.” Sains says.
The Dutchman was struggling with the car from the second lap onwards, where the smooth operator made his move by using DRS in turns 9 and 10 by taking the lead from him. Verstappen had to retire his car during the third lap due to flumes in the vehicle.
“I felt like I could keep up with him on the first lap and try and take DRS,” Sainz comments.
Lewis Hamilton’s race ends at the Australian GP with a DNF
Lewis Hamilton appears to be having a really difficult Australian Grand Prix weekend. An engine problem caused the seven-time world champion to stop the vehicle in the middle of the race.
Mercedes continues to struggle with the W15 car, as it does not seem to be making any improvement in the races. Both the world champions had the most terrible weekend at the Australian Grand Prix.
In the final lap of the race, George Russel also crashed the car by having a wheel-to-wheel fight with Fernando Alonso. While Fernando Alonso received a 20-second penalty for the incident, demoting the Aston Martin driver to P8.
Race Result of Australian Grand Prix 2024
| Position | Driver | Team |
| 1 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Ferrari |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari |
| 3 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes |
| 4 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes |
| 5 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull-Honda RBPT |
| 6 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin-Mercedes |
| 7 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB-Honda RBPT |
| 8 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin-Mercedes |
| 9 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas-Ferrari |
| 10 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas-Ferrari |
| 11 | Alexander Albon | Williams-Mercedes |
| 12 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB-Honda RBPT |
| 13 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine-Renault |
| 14 | Valtteri Bottas | Sauber-Ferrari |
| 15 | Zhou Guanyu | Sauber-Ferrari |
| 16 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine-Renault |
| 17 | George Russell | Mercedes |
| 18 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes |
| 19 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Honda RBPT |
Fiza is a writer at The Sports Orbit, focusing on F1 coverage. She is currently pursuing her master’s in broadcasting journalism and has a profound love for motorsports. She finds F1 to be the most engaging among others due to its adrenaline rush. She got interested in the sport after watching an F1 race with her brother and uncle, and she’s been hooked ever since. Her favorite team is Mercedes and she is a fan of Lewis Hamilton. Besides her dedication to F1, she enjoys activities like reading, practicing her calligraphy skills, and experimenting with cooking.
