Australian Grand Prix: Highlights
The Australian Grand Prix saw Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz bring home an exciting win after having had his appendix removed two weeks prior.
Following behind was his teammate Charles Leclerc, resulting in a Ferrari 1-2. Just behind was Lando Norris in the McLaren who managed to take home third after having been ordered to swap positions with teammate Oscar Piastri.
Image from: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10114198-australian-f1-grand-prix-2024-results-carlos-sainz-wins-as-max-verstappen-dnf
Red Bull had a difficult weekend with the usual race winner, Max Verstappen, leading the race up until the second lap where he experienced a mechanical failure that caused his right rear brake to go up in flames. The damage was extensive and the team was forced to retire the car.
Teammate Sergio Perez finished the race in fifth and scored 10 points after having started the race in sixth position despite qualifying in third. He was given a three place grid penalty for impeding Hulkenberg in the Haas during qualifying. This was a team error as they did not give the driver a warning with proper time and Perez was therefore unable to avoid impeding.
Image from: https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/bbc-f1-pundit-slams-34-y-o-driver-for-disappointing-australian-gp-qualifying/
Mercedes also had a disappointing weekend as Lewis Hamilton had to retire the car on lap 17 due to an engine failure. Teammate George Russell crashed on the final lap at turn 6/7 while trying to chase down Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin for sixth place. Alonso was given a 20 second penalty that pushed him down from sixth to eighth after the stewards deemed his slowing down abruptly was potentially dangerous. The race finished under a virtual safety car as a result of the crash.
Image from: https://www.bbc.com/sport/live/formula1/67917264/page/2
One of the pit stops for Sauber driver Valtteri Bottas was unusually slow with the pit crew reportedly having issues with the wheelnuts. Though the stop cost Bottas 28 seconds, he managed to take home 14th. Teammate Zhou Guanyu also had a slow stop due to a gearbox issue, finishing the race in 15th.
William’s driver Alex Albon, who crashed during FP1 and took over teammates Logan Sargeant’s car for the race, finished in 11th and missed out on the points.
The next race weekend will take place in Japan at the Suzuka Circuit.
