Carlos Sainz claimed the Australian Grand Prix win, with Charles Leclerc second and Lando Norris third.
Carlos Sainz is the only non-Red Bull driver to win a race since the start of 2023, triumphing in Singapore and Australia
Despite the hoards of people – including his own father – eagerly nudging him in that direction, there seems to be a reticence on Sainz’s part to snap up the Sauber/Audi opportunity and the sense that, ideally, he would prefer a team whose victory prospects are more immediate. It has been that way for more than two years now, Hamilton getting the frustration out of his system on a Friday afternoon before finding it deep within himself to recalibrate his expectations for the remainder of the weekend, returning to the paddock with a more optimistic outlook from Saturday onwards.
You might have thought his impending move to Ferrari for 2025 may have numbed the pain slightly – I’m out of here soon anyway, so why should I care? – yet on the evidence of this week’s visit to Hamilton’s honesty corner it remains as raw as ever. With the rot setting in, still unable to trouble the podium positions even on a day Verstappen failed to finish, there have been occasional hints over the last couple of years of Mercedes’ lack of performance dragging Hamilton – a diminished figure this side of Abu Dhabi 2021 – down too.
, when it had already become clear that joining Ferrari was Hamilton’s only hope of a remotely dignified end to his career.When Verstappen broke Sebastian Vettel’s record for the most consecutive race victories at Monza last September, some thought – hoped – it would stand the test of time.
Nothing puts the fear of God into a racing driver quite like a crash that leaves them stranded in the middle of the track. It takes a brave set of stewards to level an accusation of dangerous driving against a two-time World Champion – especially when Alonso, among the craftiest racers in F1, has long been known to place a greater value than most on using turbulent air to his advantage in both defence and attack .
The nature of the corner, as the last true turn before a flat-out DRS blast between the walls, also encourages the drivers to take huge risks on entry in an attempt to maximise speed on to the straight. This episode did not reflect well on him and here was a missed opportunity to teach Albon some discipline – make a mistake, pay the price – yet in choosing to place him in Logan Sargeant’s car for the rest of the weekend James Vowles, the Williams team principal, proved that he has the balls to go along with his brains.
“Oh. Well,” a stunned Bottas might’ve said, with that breathy chuckle of his. “Can’t really argue with that then, can I?”And after Albon only scraped to 11th in Sargeant’s car, Vowles will now have to deal with the inevitable blowback over whether all this was really worth the hassle.
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