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Carlos Sainz of Ferrari wins the Australian Grand Prix 2024 at Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, Australia on March 24, 2024. Joel Carrett, EPA-EFE

epa11240495 Carlos Sainz of Ferrari wins the Australian Grand Prix 2024 at Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, Australia 24 March 2024.  EPA-EFE/JOEL CARRETT AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT

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Formula One Australian Grand Prix - Race

Agence France-Presse

<div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/171126333470212118299 (1).jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Carlos Sainz of Ferrari wins the Australian Grand Prix 2024 at Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, Australia on March 24, 2024. Joel Carrett, EPA-EFE"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Carlos Sainz of Ferrari wins the Australian Grand Prix 2024 at Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, Australia on March 24, 2024. <em>Joel Carrett, EPA-EFE</em></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">MELBOURNE, Australia -- Ferrari&#x27;s Carlos Sainz surged to victory at the Australian Grand Prix Sunday to snap Red Bull&#x27;s winning start to the season after three-time world champion Max Verstappen sensationally failed to finish.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The Spaniard, who had appendicitis surgery two weeks ago and missed the last race, took the chequered flag 2.3 seconds ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc, with McLaren&#x27;s Lando Norris a bold third.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">It was Sainz&#x27;s third grand prix win and first since Singapore last year.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">But it was a disastrous day for pole-sitter Verstappen, who limped out with smoke billowing from his car after being passed by front-row partner Sainz on lap two.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;I have smoke, blue smoke, fire, fire,&quot; the Dutchman said on the team radio before his first retirement in more than two years after what appeared to be a rear brake issue.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">It was also a horror race for Lewis Hamilton in his inconsistent Mercedes, with the British seven-time world champion suffering engine failure on lap 17.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">To add to Mercedes&#x27; woes, teammate George Russell crashed heavily on the last lap with the car ending on its side. Russell climbed out unscathed.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Verstappen emphatically won the opening two grands prix of the season in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in a Red Bull 1-2 and was hot favorite to make it three from three.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">He had been aiming to match his own record set last year of 10 consecutive wins -- one more than Sebastian Vettel in 2013 -- and was unbeaten in his last 18 starts from pole position.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">But while Verstappen was favored to win, the Ferraris had proved highly competitive in practice and qualifying on the fast and flowing Albert Park track.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Despite not being fully fit, Sainz topped Q1 and Q2 to fire a warning shot before Verstappen pounced in Q3.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;P1 baby, P1 baby, it&#x27;s amazing. Life&#x27;s a rollercoaster at times, said Sainz, whose seat at Ferrari is to be taken by Hamilton next year.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/2/13/aston-martin-launch-2024-formula-one-car-1608"></a><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/2/13/aston-martin-launch-2024-formula-one-car-1608">WATCH: Aston Martin launch 2024 Formula One car</a></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><strong>- &#x27;Wasn&#x27;t easy physically&#x27; -</strong></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;Very happy, I felt really great out there. Of course it wasn&#x27;t easy physically, but I was lucky I was more or less on my own out there and I could manage my pace.&quot;</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">On a fine day, Oscar Piastri in the other McLaren was fourth ahead of Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull. Fernando Alonso was sixth ahead of Aston Martin teammate Lance Stroll.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">RB&#x27;s Yuki Tsunoda was eighth, with Haas pair Nico Hulkenburg and Kevin Magnussen rounding out the top 10.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;It feels good mostly for the team of course, first and second didn&#x27;t happen since Bahrain 2022,&quot; said Leclerc.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;Carlos has had an incredible weekend to come back from his surgery, he&#x27;s done an amazing race.&quot;</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Verstappen made a clean start and pulled clear of Sainz when the lights went out, with Norris holding onto third as they jostled for position.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">But his lead didn&#x27;t last with Sainz opening his DRS on lap two to slice past and take the lead.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;I just lost the car -- really weird,&quot; Verstappen said on the radio, before smoke started pouring out and headed to the pits and retirement.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The race took on a different characteristic with Sainz leading from Norris and Leclerc with Perez down in sixth.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The pit stops began on lap eight with Hamilton coming in, followed by his Mercedes teammate George Russell, with both having started on soft tyres to the mediums of almost everyone else.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Sainz pitted on lap 17.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">With the stops done, Sainz had a 2.6sec lead from Leclerc at the halfway mark, closely followed by Piastri and Norris.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">With no Verstappen to contend with, the Spaniard gradually built the gap as Norris passed Piastri to move into third.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Leclerc pitted again as his tyres began failing and he came back out in fifth on hards, but with fresh rubber quickly surged back to second.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Sainz also pitted again and retained a narrow lead to cruise home in front of 130,000 fans.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">© Agence France-Presse</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/2/2/ferrari-s-hamilton-coup-hailed-as-triumph-in-italy-1905"></a><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/2/2/ferrari-s-hamilton-coup-hailed-as-triumph-in-italy-1905">READ: Ferrari&#x27;s Hamilton &#x27;coup&#x27; 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<p>Ferrari's Carlos Sainz surged to victory at the Australian Grand Prix Sunday to snap Red Bull's winning start to the season after three-time world champion Max Verstappen sensationally failed to finish.</p>

Ferrari's Carlos Sainz surged to victory at the Australian Grand Prix Sunday to snap Red Bull's winning start to the season after three-time world champion Max Verstappen sensationally failed to finish.

F1: Sainz wins Australian GP in Ferrari 1-2 as Verstappen fails to finish

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F1: Sainz wins Australian GP in Ferrari 1-2 as Verstappen fails to finish

Agence France-Presse,

Martin Parry

Published March 24, 2024 03:05 PM PHT

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abssports

motor sports

Formula One

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Australian Grand Prix

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Carlos Sainz

Charles Leclerc

Lando Norris

Lewis Hamilton

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