Max fails at Oz GP
|Published
Big swoop: Carlos Sainz of Ferrari. Picture: EPA/JOEL CARRETT
Red Bull’s remarkable two-year run of reliability ended in flames on Sunday at the Australian Grand Prix as Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz took the chequered flag in Melbourne.
Formula One world champion Max Verstappen, out to equal his 10-race winning streak, started in pole position at Albert Park.
But on lap four, the Dutchman had to roll back to the pits as flames leaped from the rear of his car after a brake problem - coming two years after his and Red Bull's last retirement due to a mechanical issue at the 2022 Aussie GP.
Interesting tactics from Fred! 😳😂#F1 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/SibINLIJGs
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 24, 2024
With Verstappen off the track, Ferrari/s Carlos Sainz won the race two weeks after his appendicitis surgery.
Sainz, the only non-Red Bull driver to win a race last season, held off teammate Charles Leclerc before a final-lap crash by Mercedes driver George Russell triggered a virtual safety car and eased the Spaniard’s path to victory.
Briton Lando Norris was third for McLaren, thwarting fourth-placed teammate Oscar Piastri’s hopes of a first podium by a home driver at Australia’s F1 race, with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez coming fifth.
Bravo, Charles 👏
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 24, 2024
The Ferrari driver won the @DHL_Motorsports Fastest Lap in Melbourne earning him an extra championship point 👉 https://t.co/sOAsD9IxzG#F1 #AusGP #MomentsThatDeliver pic.twitter.com/Qs78MtYqkN