Carlos Sainz won the Australian Grand Prix, marking a significant comeback two weeks after undergoing appendicitis surgery. This victory occurred as Red Bull’s Max Verstappen experienced his first retirement in two years due to a brake problem. Sainz, who had missed the second race of the season in Saudi Arabia due to his surgery, managed to secure the win ahead of his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, with a virtual safety car situation in the final lap aiding his victory. Lando Norris of McLaren finished third, while his teammate Oscar Piastri came in fourth. Norris now holds the record for the most podiums (14) without a win in Formula 1. Leclerc achieved the fastest lap, contributing to Ferrari’s points tally, bringing them within four points of Red Bull in the constructors’ championship. Verstappen leads the drivers’ championship with 51 points, followed by Leclerc with 47 points. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez is in third place, one point behind Leclerc, and Sainz is fourth, 11 points behind Verstappen. This race marked Verstappen’s first DNF since the same event in 2022, ending his streak of nine consecutive race wins. Lewis Hamilton retired early due to a power unit problem, and George Russell also retired after crashing, which was influenced by a sudden slow down by Fernando Alonso. Alonso received a 20-second penalty and three penalty points for his role in the incident, which demoted him to eighth place. This adjustment promoted Lance Stroll to sixth and Yuki Tsunoda to seventh. Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen finished in ninth and tenth places, respectively. Alex Albon, driving in place of his teammate Logan Sargeant, finished 11th.
