The Australian Grand Prix was an action-packed event as Ferrari took the 1-2 podium finish while current champion Verstappen had to retire and Mercedes saw both its drivers out of the race — an action-packed Grand Prix indeed.
Ferrari’s Clarlos Sianz Jr took the podium finish, breaking Verstappen’s 10-wins in-a-row streak, starting second from the grid. Sainz was followed by fellow teammate Leclerc in second and Lando Norris in third. The second Red Bull car, piloted by Sergio Perez managed a fifth, behind Oscar Piastri’s McLaren.
F1 Australian Grand Prix: Retirements and crashes
The first to retire was Verstappen when he had brake issues, forcing him to pull out of the race and enter the pits before retiring. This was the current champion’s first retirement in two years. This gave way for the two Ferraris to lead the race ahead of both the McLarens to let Sainz claim his first victory in the 2024 season.
Bad luck struck Mercedes as well, with Hamilton retiring after facing an engine failure, while towards the end of the race, teammate George Russell crashed, while battling Fernando Alonso for sixth place. This left both Mercedes’ out of finishing the Australian Grand Prix.
F1 Australian Grand Prix: Current overall standings
After the Australian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen still leads the overall championship with 51 points, however, following him closely in second is Leclerc with 47 points, and Perez in third with 46 points. Sainz is in fourth with 40 points and Piastri is in fifth with 28 points.
As the season has just begun, the leadership positions can change if Red Bull continues to have reliability issues with its cars and Ferrari keeps up the momentum. Mercedes, on the other hand, has a lot of catching up to do since Russel is in seventh overall with 18 points and the soon-to-be Ferrari driver, Hamilton is in tenth, with 8 points.
