Australian GP: Sainz wins Grand Prix as Ferrari claim 1-2 podium after Verstappen retirement
Ferrari's Carlos Sainz won the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, making his triumphant return two weeks after appendicitis surgery, while Red Bull's world champion Max Verstappen retired for the first time in two years.
Sainz, the only non-Red Bull driver to win a race last season, held off teammate Charles Leclerc before Mercedes driver George Russell crashed on the final lap, triggering a virtual safety car and easing the Spaniard's path to victory.
"It was a really good race. I felt really good out there," said Sainz, who missed the second race of the season in Saudi Arabia while recovering from surgery.
"Of course a bit stiff and especially physically it wasn't the easiest but I was lucky that I was more or less on my own and I could manage my pace, manage the tyres, manage everything, and it wasn't the toughest race of all."
"But very happy, very proud of the team, and happy to be in a one-two with Charles here."
McLaren's Lando Norris finished third, thwarting fourth-placed teammate Oscar Piastri's hopes of a first podium by a home driver in Australia's F1 race.
Norris now has the most podium finishes (14) without a win in Formula One.
Leclerc set the fastest lap to cap a successful day for Ferrari, who are now only four points behind Red Bull in the constructors' championship.
Verstappen still leads the drivers' championship after wins in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, with 51 points to Leclerc's 47.
Red Bull's Sergio Perez, who finished fifth, is one point behind Leclerc, with Sainz moving up to fourth place, 11 points behind Verstappen.
"We just didn't have the pace today. We didn't have the pace throughout the weekend," lamented Perez, adding that Ferrari would "absolutely" have won even if Verstappen went the distance.
Verstappen started on pole for the third time this season, but retired on the fourth lap due to a brake issue as flames erupted from the right rear of his car.
It was his first DNF since retiring from Albert Park in the 2022 race, and it ended his streak of nine consecutive race victories.
The 26-year-old claimed he was driving with the handbrake on from the start.
"That's why already it felt the car was really weird to drive in some corners. It was just very snappy," he added.
Red Bull have now suffered two defeats in 26 races dating back to the final round of 2022.
Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time world champion, was also forced to retire early due to a power unit issue after starting 11th on the grid in his worst Melbourne qualifying since 2010.
Russell, his teammate, capped off a disastrous day for the Silver Arrows by skidding into gravel at turn six and colliding with the barrier, wrecking his car and bringing out the virtual safety car.
Stewards said Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso played a part in Russell's crash by slowing quickly as Russell was close behind.
Alonso, who finished sixth, received a 20-second penalty, which dropped him to eighth place and was also handed three penalty points.
That moved Lance Stroll to sixth and Yuki Tsunoda to seventh, giving RB their first points of the season.
Ninth-placed Nico Hulkenberg and Haas teammate Kevin Magnussen completed the top ten.
Williams had only one driver in the race, with Alex Albon finishing 11th and out of points in the car of teammate Logan Sargeant, who was ordered to make way after Albon wrecked his own car during Friday practice.
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