Sainz and Leclerc give Ferrari one-two finish at Australian Grand Prix

Just 16 days after surgery for appendicitis, Carlos Sainz took advantage of an early retirement from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to win the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. Finishing just behind in second place was teammate Charles Leclerc who made sure Ferrari secured the team’s 86th one-two finish and 44 points in the process.

Sainz started the race in second, having been pipped to the pole by Verstappen on Saturday but soon overtook the Dutchman after he experienced brake failure to go into the lead on lap 2. Starting the race on medium tyres, Sainz had two drama free pit stops on laps 16 and 41 switching to hards both times. The victory was never in doubt as Sainz maintained Ferrari’s pace throughout and the Spaniard’s third Formula 1 win now puts him equal on Ferrari’s all-time list with world champions Juan Manuel Fangio, Mike Hawthorn, Phil Hill and Jody Scheckter.

Leclerc started the race in fourth position but drove well to get ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris on lap 9. He kept the British driver at bay for the rest of the race and managed to pick up an extra point by setting the fastest lap time.

The race ended under a Virtual Safety Car after George Russell dramatically crashed, leaving the Mercedes on its side with the rest of the field having to navigate around the debris to complete the race. His teammate Lewis Hamilton also retired earlier on in the race on lap 17 with a power unit problem.

The Japanese Grand Prix is next up and takes place on Sunday 7th April.

words: Mike Booth
pictures: Scuderia Ferrari