Promising a smooth victory from start to finish, the Australian Grand Prix proved to be a thrilling and eventful race, won by Carlos Sainz in a sensational performance.
After the start, it really looked like it could be the most boring race of the season - but life made it so that it wasn't. Max Verstappen had a flawless start, but was followed by Carlos Sainz, who overtook the Dutchman on the second lap, right at the first DRS opening. Something was wrong with Verstappen, whose car started to smoke and after a few corners it poured in thick clouds.
The Red Bull driver was forced to retire due to a brake failure, giving his rivals an unexpected opportunity. Meanwhile, Sainz took the lead and continued to increase his lead, with his teammate catching up shortly after. We slowly reached the first pit lane, which was opened by Lewis Hamilton. But the Briton was not to last long on the difficult mixed stage, as he was also forced to retire due to an engine failure. The VSC phase imposed by the incident was the best for Fernando Alonso, who was just behind the leaders thanks to a smart pit stop. The fight behind the leaders could also tell us a lot about Sergio Perez, whose Red Bull Racing car is no longer a world champion, but not about the Scuderia Ferrari driven by Sainz, who built up such a large lead that a technical error was practically the only thing that could have deprived him of victory.
McLaren also built nicely, quietly taking 2-3 places and reaching Lando Norris - Oscar Piastri for their first podium of the season. This was the only thing left to decide for the last laps of the race, as all the other dice had been cast early. As a result, Carlos Sainz, in a not inconsiderable sporting performance, won the Australian Grand Prix ahead of Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris, while Max Verstappen may be upset...
