What promised to be a smooth start-to-finish victory turned out to be a thrilling, nail-biting race, which Carlos Sainz won with a sensational performance.
After the start, it really did look like it could be the most boring race of the season - but life made sure it wasn't. Max Verstappen got off to a flawless start, but he was followed by Carlos Sainz, who overtook the Dutchman on the second lap, right at the first DRS opening. Something was wrong with Verstappen, whose car started to billow smoke and after a few corners was pouring out in thick clouds.
The Red Bull driver was forced to retire due to a brake failure, giving his rivals an unexpected chance. Meanwhile, Sainz took the lead and continued to increase his lead, with his teammate catching up soon after. We slowly reached the first pit lane, which Lewis Hamilton opened. But the Briton was not to last long on the hard mixed stage, as he too was forced to retire due to an engine failure. The VSC phase imposed by the incident was the best for Fernando Alonso, who found himself right behind the leaders thanks to a clever pit stop. The fight behind the front runners could also tell us a lot about Sergio Perez, whose Red Bull Racing car is no longer a world-beater, but not the Scuderia Ferrari driven by Sainz, who had built up such a lead that a technical mistake was practically the only thing that could have deprived him of victory.
McLaren also built up nicely, quietly taking 2-3rd position and checking in on Lando Norris - Oscar Piastri for their first podium of the season. This was the only thing left to be decided for the final laps of the race, as all other dice had been cast early. As a result, Carlos Sainz, in no mean feat of sportsmanship, won the Australian Grand Prix ahead of Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris, while Max Verstappen can be annoyed...