Just two weeks after being hospitalized with appendicitis, Carlos Sainz wins his 3rd Grand Prix of his career in Australia with a mechanical failure ending Verstappen’s chances of getting a record-equalling 10th consecutive victory

Carlos Sainz may feel he has been betrayed by Ferrari. He has performed well in his time at the Scuderia yet he has still been demoted for 2025. Facing that and an appendicitis operation this year is hard, but has answered back emphatically.  

He has put feelings aside and has a podium and now a win to his credit in 2024 as he beat teammate Leclerc leading a Ferrari 1-2 for the first time since Bahrain 2 years ago. Lando Norris rounded off the podium as team orders put him back ahead of Oscar Piastri. The young Australian put in a good performance to finish 4th at his home race.

Sergio Perez finishes in 5th which was not what Red Bull would have wanted. Lance Stroll and Yuki Tsunoda were promoted a place each to 6th and 7th respectively after Fernando Alonso was given a post race penalty as he apparently brake tested George Russell on the final lap.

The Brit would hit the wall at the high speed Turn 6, as both Mercedes did not finish. It was a good day for Haas though as both drivers finished in the points. Hulkenberg (9th) and Magnussen (10th) held off the singular Williams of Alex Albon.

After his crash in FP1 that damaged his chassis, Williams gave the Thai driver Logan Sargeant’s car as they did not have a spare chassis. James Vowles made the decision sighting Alex was the superior driver and was more likely to get points. As much as Albon was in 10th getting a single point for part of the race, the decision did not pay off and he would ultimately finish 11th.

Red Bull are not invincible

There were signs through practice that Red Bull were not going to have it all their way this weekend. Ferrari looked strong on their longer runs and were put ahead of the bulls during simulations. During Q1 and Q2, Sainz pushed Verstappen and whilst the Dutchman would get pole, the Spaniard was there with him.

Both drivers duelled at the start but then smoke billowed out of Verstappen’s rear right brakes. All of a sudden he pulled to the side and entered the pits with an exploding brake pad. A 15 point lead is just 4 in the championship. Whilst he is still the favourite to win this championship, a race win may no longer a walk in the park…sometimes.

For teammate Perez, this was a golden opportunity, that he just did not take. Before he overtook Alonso, he looked like he was driving a rocket ship and all eyes were on how he could fight. After this, he looked like he was driving a normal F1 car and meandered around Albert Park to only finish in 5th.

If reliability comes into play and Red Bull continuing to struggle with it, who knows how 2024 could play out.

Ferrari looking strong

The team looking to capitalise on this is those wearing scarlet red. Ferrari are on the up and are only 4 points behind Red Bull in the constructors. They have 2 drivers performing very well at this point in time and are optimising on their competitors faults.

Carlos Sainz is some driver. The way he has revealed himself to be a prized possession on the driver market is obvious. Who knows where he will be in 2025, considering he is on Red Bull’s shortlist if one or both drivers get replaced, Mercedes also need a driver, Aston Martin might need one if Alonso leaves. He deserves a spot on the grid.

Teammate Charles Leclerc has not been mind-blowingly amazing in 2024, but has been consistent. He has not been too good compared to Sainz but at least he has not made errors. Ferrari are here to fight in 2024 and have two drivers displaying the right mentality to do it.

Mercedes’ woeful weekend

On the other side of the happiness spectrum, Mercedes had a horror show in Albert Park. The track they almost fought for a race win at last year, this weekend they not only did not bring any points but their first double retirement since Austria 2018.

Toto Wolff after the race said that he wanted to punch himself on the nose, Hamilton branded the weekend a struggle after retiring on lap 17 with an engine failure and being knocked out in Q2, and George Russell said they have work to do. All of this summarises the struggle Mercedes are experiencing in 2024 so far.

The pecking order was slightly revealed this weekend. Red Bull are quickest with Ferrari in second. McLaren look to have the third fastest car and have closed the gap further to Ferrari whilst Mercedes may find themselves behind Aston with the 5th fastest car and gone backwards. It is heads down until Japan for the Brackley outfit.

Tsunoda brilliance whilst Ricciardo struggles

RB will exit the weekend happy to have not just 1 but 6 points on the board. They emerge 6th in the constructors following Yuki Tsunoda’s excellent race finishing in 7th. He has been brilliant so far this season as should definitely have the senior team’s attention.

However, in the other car, Daniel Ricciardo is struggling comparatively. 13th, 16th and 12th compared to your teammate’s 14th, 14th and 7th is not good; especially when the one time you beat him was because of team orders. In qualifying, Yuki is beating Daniel 3 to nil and has gone 11th, 9th and 8th compared to Daniel’s 14th, 14th and 18th.

Red Bull will be looking at the stats and surely realising Yuki has been the far better driver so far, and heading to Japan it is his turn to have the home advantage compared to Daniel. The Aussie really must start performing if he has any hope of being in the senior team for 2025.

More Haas brilliance

In a place where they have gone well but have bad memories, Haas put their woes to bed and had a brilliant time in Albert Park. Whilst qualifying was not good, their race pace was brilliant as they usurped Alex Albon’s efforts for Williams to get into the points with both cars.

This is useful for them as they fight for 7^th in the driver’s championship against Williams. RB may be within their grasp too if they continue this form, and this is extraordinary given what was said just last month and since the end of last season within the team.

The next race for F1 is in Japan at the legendary Suzuka where Red Bull will hope for better reliability, Ferrari will want to hear more of their Italian national anthem, and Mercedes will wish for something better than a double DNF. Australia produced the unexpected, and we hope to see more!