RACE REPORT | F1 Australia 2024

The surprise winner of the Australian Grand Prix was Spaniard Carlos Sainz, who made perfect use of Max Verstappen's technical problems.

Qualifying for the 2024 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne produced another pole position for Max Verstappen, giving him the best starting position for the race.

The start of the race was very uneventful, so there were no major changes in the standings. However, leader Verstappen did not enjoy the lead for long as Ferrari's Carlos Sainz, starting from second place, got ahead of him.

The Dutchman then began to report that something was wrong with his car and began to slow down. The cause was soon certain - Verstappen apparently had a problem with his right rear brake and had to rush to the pits, where his race ended. For Verstappen, this marked the end of a winning streak that lasted 9 races. The last time the Dutchman failed to finish a race was two years ago. 

Verstappen's problems helped Sainz, who had missed the previous race due to appendectomy surgery, to consolidate his lead in the race. Sainz then held on to first place to the finish and was able to celebrate his third career triumph.

Charles Leclerc, his Ferrari teammate, finished second. The Monegasque driver was no match for Sainz but managed to stay ahead of the McLarens. 

The McLaren drivers came home in third and fourth. Lando Norris took third ahead of home driver Oscar Piastri of Australia. 

Fifth place points went to Sergio Pérez, the only Red Bull driver to finish this time.

Fernando Alonso finished sixth, but after the race he was given a 20-second penalty for holding up Geroge Russell on the approach to turn six, which caused the Briton to crash and lose the opportunity to score points for seventh place.

Alonso dropped behind his teammate Lance Stroll and Yuki Tsunoda after the penalty. Nico Hülkenberg scored two points for ninth place this time, followed by his teammate Kevin Magnussen.