Carlos Sainz wins F1 Australian GP after early exit for Verstappen with engine fire

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz ended Red Bull’s Formula 1 winning streak Sunday when the Spaniard took advantage of Max Verstappen’s early exit to win the Australian Grand Prix just two weeks after missing the previous race in Saudi Arabia due to an emergency appendectomy. Sainz, who started on the front row alongside Verstappen, kept his place into turn one, but passed the Dutchman on lap two at turn nine for the lead and took control once his rival retired two laps later with a fiery mechanical failure. Verstappen had won the first two F1 races of the season in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia and was on a nine-race winning streak. Sainz finished ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc for Ferrari’s first 1-2 result since the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix, with McLaren’s Lando Norris finishing in third for his first podium at Albert Park. His teammate, Australian Oscar Piastri, was fourth. Sainz, who will be replaced by Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari from 2025, was thrilled to get his third career win against the odds, his first since last year’s Singapore Grand Prix. “I felt really good out there,” he said. “Of course, (I felt) a bit stiff, especially physically....