Max Verstappen’s dominant streak in Formula 1 was brought to an abrupt end in the Australian Grand Prix, paving the way for a Ferrari 1-2 headed by Carlos Sainz.
While there was jubilation for the Scuderia, an eventful race at Albert Park saw Mercedes suffer a dramatic double retirement and two-time champion Fernando Alonso become the recipient of a sizeable penalty for dangerous driving.
With 19 starters and three retirements, how did our drivers fare in a high attrition affair in Melbourne?
Carlos Sainz: 10
Qualified: P2, Race: P1
Just two weeks ago, Carlos Sainz was forced to sit out the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix to undergo surgery for appendicitis. But on his racing return and still not at 100% fitness, who would have expected the Spaniard to put an end to Verstappen’s hot streak?
Sainz had been a forerunner throughout the weekend and could have challenged for pole save for a messy Turn 9 and 10 on his final effort.
Sainz easily passed Verstappen on Lap 2 with DRS assistance and, with the benefit of Verstappen’s retirement on Lap 4, cantered to a third career win in style.
Charles Leclerc: 8
Qualified: P5 (Started P4), Race: P2
Charles Leclerc found himself with near three-tenth deficit to Ferrari team-mate Sainz in qualifying and was unable to mount a real challenge for the victory with Verstappen out of the running.
Instead, the Monegasque was left to battle the McLaren duo and was able to jump Lando Norris through strategy. Second place was the realistic maximum for Leclerc on a weekend where Sainz shone.
Lando Norris: 8.5
Qualified: P4 (Started P3), Race: P3
Lando Norris was back at his best in Melbourne where he picked up a 14th F1 podium but remains in search of an allusive maiden victory.
Despite struggling in practice, Norris found his form in qualifying but lost out to team-mate Oscar Piastri in the first pit cycle.
The loss of track position cost Norris the opportunity to challenge Leclerc for second, but his experience ensured he claimed the final step on the rostrum.
Oscar Piastri: 7.5
Qualified: P6 (Started P5), Race: P4
Oscar Piastri rued leaving performance on the table in qualifying having made mistakes where it mattered in Q3.
The Melbourne native benefited from an earlier first pit-stop to cover George Russell which saw him jump Norris.
Team orders saw Piastri later surrender the position back to Norris, although it looked inevitable that the Briton would have come out on top even without the team’s involvement.
Piastri suffered with graining in the final stint, but a fourth place finish was still a healthy reward for Piastri now in his sophomore year.
Sergio Perez: 7
Qualified: P3 (Started P6), Race: P5
Sergio Perez had qualified third fastest on Saturday, but was handed a three-place grid penalty for impeding Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg in Q1.
Perez was therefore on the backfoot from the outset on Sunday and, with Verstappen out of the running, was unable to return the RB20 to the podium.
He was able to easily pass Fernando Alonso and George Russell, but was powerless when it came to dispatching of the McLaren pair which team boss Christian Horner later put down to debris caught under the Mexican’s floor.
Max Verstappen: 6.5
Qualified: P1, Race: DNF
Verstappen stormed to an “unexpected” pole in Melbourne with a margin of almost three-tenths over Sainz on Saturday.
Albert Park exposed a weaker RB20 with the likes of Ferrari and McLaren all poised to profit off of any misfortune for the Dutchman.
For the first time in two years, that misfortune came on Lap 4 when a terminal rear right brake fire broke out.
Lance Stroll: 7
Qualified: P9, Race: P6
It was a quiet weekend down under for Lance Stroll, but an effective one nonetheless.
Stroll ensured himself a Q3 appearance and managed his race well on Sunday to find himself boosted up the order following the application of a 20-second time penalty for team-mate Alonso.
Leaving Australia with a healthy points haul, the Canadian must continue to add to his tally and work on reducing the pace deficit to his two-time champion team-mate.
Fernando Alonso: 6
Qualified: P10, Race: P8
Alonso was left unhappy with his qualifying performance, concluding the top half and sitting 10th on the grid.
The Spaniard suffered floor damage on Friday which saw his practice limited, but benefited from the timing of the Virtual Safety Car to maintain track position ahead of Russell and battle with Perez and Leclerc.
Alonso was firm in his defence against Piastri to no avail, and crossed the line with his hindrance of the closing Russell on the final lap.
The Spaniard’s antics saw him in receipt of a 20-second time penalty, three points on his license and the loss of P6 which was fortunately inherited by team-mate Stroll.
Yuki Tsunoda: 9
Qualified: P8, Race: P7
Yuki Tsunoda was able to deliver yet another statement drive on a weekend where he comprehensively outclassed RB team-mate and home hero Daniel Ricciardo.
While Ricciardo found himself eliminated in Q1, Tsunoda was able to reach Q3 for the second time this season.
Tsunoda then went on to drive a brilliantly mature race in which he extracted the maximum from his machinery, but was no match for the Aston Martins ahead.
Daniel Ricciardo: 6
Qualified: P18, Race: P12
Ricciardo began the season as the favourite to replace a struggling Sergio Perez at Red Bull, however Ricciardo’s performances in the first three rounds of 2024 have failed to live up to those expectations.
The Australian was left “puzzled” by his deficit to Tsunoda in qualifying and struggled to replicate his team-mate’s pace in race-trim.
Even with an attempt to climb the order on the Soft tyre, Ricciardo finished 12th with plenty to digest ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.
Nico Hulkenberg: 8
Qualified: P16, Race: P9
Nico Hulkenberg was unable to find his qualifying form on Saturday after being impeded by Sergio Perez on his first attempt. Things wouldn’t improve for the German who would need to make up the ground in the grand prix.
Hulkenberg and Haas delivered an excellent result on Sunday, capitalising on the timing of the Virtual Safety Car to find himself fighting at the front of the midfield.
Kevin Magnussen: 8
Qualified: P14, Race: P10
With Hulkenberg unable to advance to Q2, Haas were offered a lifeline with Kevin Magnussen who found himself 14th on the grid.
Magnussen again played the team game, allowing Hulkenberg to chase down those ahead while the Dane battled hard with those in a feisty midfield scrap.
Magnussen was able to keep the sole Williams of Alex Albon at bay to pick up a double points finish for Haas.
Alex Albon: 5
Qualified: P12, Race: P11
A shunt in FP1 unravelled Williams’ weekend as the team had not brought a spare chassis to the Australian Grand Prix. With just one chassis left for the remainder of the weekend, James Vowles made the decision to sacrifice Logan Sargeant’s weekend in the hope that Albon could pickup points.
Having sat out the entirity of FP2, Albon was back in the car on Saturday where he qualified 12th on the grid however, the FW46 lacked the ultimate pace to clinch points on a weekend where several frontrunners found trouble.
Pierre Gasly: 5.5
Qualified: P17, Race: P13
Alpine’s torrid start to the 2024 season continued in Melbourne with Pierre Gasly eliminated in the first stage of qualifying.
Given the machinery, Gasly drove well in the race aside from picking up a five-second time penalty for crossing the pit-exit line for the second time that weekend.
Despite a rough-around-the-edges weekend, 13th matches the team’s best result this year.
Esteban Ocon: 6
Qualified: P15, Race: P16
Alpine had the slowest car around Albert Park, making Esteban Ocon’s progression into Q2 that little bit more impressive.
However, any chances of converting his starting position into points were dashed when a trapped tear off forced the Alpine driver into an early second stop.
Valtteri Bottas: 7
Qualified: P13, Race: P14
After a troubled first couple of races, Bottas was able to bounce back in Melbourne to qualify 13th.
The Fin found himself in contention for points early on, but pit stop woes again hampered the Hinwill-based squad with a stuck wheelnut costing Bottas some thirty seconds and thrustijng him back into traffic.
Guanyu Zhou: 5.5
Qualified: P19 (Started: Pits), Race: P15
Guanyu Zhou threw away his chances of a Q2 appearance when he ran wide at Turn 10, tearing up his Sauber’s front wing.
A change of front wing spec meant the Chinese driver was forced to start from the pitlane and any chances of a recovery were jeopardised by yet another slow pitstop for the team.
George Russell: 5
Qualified: P7, Race: P17
George Russell again looked more at home in the W15 compared to Lewis Hamilton, however the Briton threw away a solid result when he found himself caught out by Alonso’s final lap antics.
Russell had been running seventh and was rapidly closing in on the Aston Martin driver, only to find the two-time champion slowing at Turn 6.
The stewards determined, somewhat controversially, that Alonso was solely at fault for the incident, although Russell’s lapses in concentration on the final lap have cost Mercedes considerably of late.
Lewis Hamilton: 6.5
Qualified: P11, Race: DNF
Hamilton continued to struggle to get to grips with the W15 in Melbourne, suffering a small moment in the final sectorin Q2 which put an end to his chances of making the cut for Q3.
As like Verstappen, the seven-time champion was let down by his machinery on Lap 15 when a loss of oil pressure forced him to bring the car to a stop after chasing Lance Stroll.
