24/03/2024
NEWS STORY
Pirelli's Mario Isola best summed it up when he said after qualifying: "It looked for a while as though everything was in place to produce a surprise, at least in qualifying, but in the end, Max Verstappen laid down the law once again."
Indeed, it's that man again.
Only 0.270s off the pace was Carlos Sainz, who two weeks ago was recovering from an appendectomy, and while Sergio Perez was third the Mexican was subsequently handed a 3-place grid drop for impeding Nico Hulkenberg in Q1.
A mistake means that Charles Leclerc is sandwiched between the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, while Yuki Tsunoda put more pressure on his RB teammate by qualifying eighth.
The Aston Martin pair are ninth (Stroll) and tenth, while Mercedes main/only hopes appears to rest with George Russell who qualified seventh.
As ever, especially considering the history of this particular track, much will depend on who gets the best start and leads the field not only into Turn 1 but the infamous Turn 3, for as we have seen once Max gets ahead that is the last you see of him.
That said, with his teammate's penalty, this means the world champion will be under attack from two Ferraris, not to mention the eager beavers in the McLarens.
Ferrari has been giving Red Bull a hard time all weekend, and let's not forget Sainz' amazing pace on the mediums yesterday. However, as we said, much will depend on the start.
The midfield is going to be as tight as ever, and while this has provided much of the entertainment thus far this season, the inclusion of Hamilton should only add to the fun, especially with Fernando Alonso starting ahead and Alex Albon just behind, the Thai driver determined to make a point today.
A number of teams have experienced what Ferrari last year referred to as "erratic" behaviour, and an added element this weekend is the tyres.
FP3 confirmed the indications seen yesterday in terms of tyre usage for the race. In fact, the hard was barely used, with only the Aston Martin, McLaren and Stake drivers scrubbing in the C3s (two sets for Aston Martin and McLaren and one for Stake). This means it will be the most used compound, irrespective of which sets the teams decided to return tonight.
Of the front runners, the Bulls, Ferrari and Mercedes drivers each have two sets of new hards.
However, of interest in qualifying was the various approaches from the teams when it came to preparing for the timed lap, with the aim of getting the most out of the softest compound. Apart from the classic out-push-in, some drivers went for two preparation laps while others did two cool-down laps after a timed one, before then going for another attempt.
However, no one has run the hardest compound so far, so that's another unknown, while managing graining will be a key factor given that, at this track, the phenomenon does not improve much as the track gradually rubbers-in, as is the case at most other circuits.
There are plenty of unknowns, especially in terms of strategy, however based on the data from the previous two days, it is highly likely to be a two-stopper, with the medium-hard-hard combination being the quickest.
Also one has to take into account the high probability of seeing the Safety Car - last year it was required no less than three times - or even a red flag, especially at the start, while the changeable winds have also been causing problems.
Other than the obvious pressure on Albon to deliver, Daniel Ricciardo is another who needs a good result. Out-qualified for the third time by his teammate, the popular Australian is already on notice as far as the unforgiving Helmut Marko is concerned.
Aside from Perez' grid penalty, Zhou will start from the pitlane as his car was modified under parc ferme conditions, the Stake driver's car requiring a new front wing after the original was damaged on his final run in Q1.
The pitlane opens and Verstappen leads the way, followed by Perez, Russell, Magnussen, Gasly and Zhou.
Air temperature is 20 degrees C, while the track temperature is 39 degrees.
All are starting on mediums bar Alonso and Hulkenberg who are on hards and Hamilton, Ricciardo and Zhou who are on hards. Stroll, Alonso and Bottas on used/scrubbed rubber.
Surprised to see the softs being used, but then both Hamilton and Ricciardo need to be aggressive. That said, Hamilton appears unsure of the choice of tyre.
They head off on the formation lap, Verstappen leading the field away quite slowly.
The grid forms.
They're away! They're through Turn 1 without any issues and again through Turn 3. Verstappen leading Sainz, Norris, Leclerc and Piastri.
Russell goes around the outside of Perez in Turn 3, while Hamilton has passed Alonso.
At the end of Lap 1, it's: Verstappen, Sainz, Norris, Leclerc, Piastri, Russell, Perez, Stroll, Tsunoda and Hamilton.
On Lap 2 Sainz passes Verstappen under DRS on the run to Turn 9. The crowd cheers.
"I just lost the car, really weird," reports Verstappen. "****, the car is loose," he adds.
There is smoke coming from the rear of the Red Bull and suddenly Verstappen slows. "Fire, fire, my brake, brake," he reports as he heads back to the pits.
After 4 laps, Sainz leads by 1.8s as the Red Bull mechanics deal with a fire at the rear of the car, however it is unclear if it is an engine issue or brakes.
Replay shows bits falling from the ailing Red Bull, which suggests a brake issue.
Down in sixth, Perez goes quickest in S2 as he seeks to close the 0.5sa gap to Russell who has slipped 2.7s behind Piastri.
Ricciardo pits and switches to hards as Leclerc closes on Norris.
Albon pits at the end of Lap 6, as does Zhou, both switching to hards.
Hamilton and Magnussen both pit at the end of Lap 7, the seven-time world champion rejoining in 14th on hards.
Out front, Sainz posts successive fast laps (22.303) as Russell, Stroll and Bottas all pit as the mediums, like the softs, prove to be ineffective here.
"Let's go long," urges Sainz as Leclerc, Piastri, Tsunoda and Ocon all stop.
On his fresh rubber, Hamilton runs wide in Turn 1 as Sainz posts another fastest lap (21.715).
"You're doing a mega job out there," the Spaniard is told.
It is currently: Sainz, Norris, Perez, Alonso, Hulkenberg, Gasly, Leclerc, Piastri, Russell and Stroll.
Leclerc and Piastri pass Hulkenberg to claim fifth and sixth.
Verstappen is on the pit-wall talking to Christian Horner, no doubt advising him of his decision to join Mercedes.
In eighth, Gasly is putting Hulkenberg under intense pressure as Russell and Stroll close in.
Norris and Perez both pit at the end of Lap 14, rejoining in 5th and 10th respectively. Norris is behind his McLaren teammate, while Perez is under attack from Hamilton.
Sainz leads on his mediums ahead of the hard-shod Alonso, Hulkenberg (sixth) and Gasly (seventh) are the only driver yet to pit.
"That car's really fast," says Hamilton of Perez.
Check out our Sunday gallery from Melbourne here.
Stroll is all over Gasly but the Frenchman is having none of it.
As Sainz pits at the end of Lap 16, Hamilton reports "engine failure".
Ocon pits as Sainz rejoins in second as Alonso leads. There is an issue with Ocon's stop, seemingly an issue with the rear brake.
The VSC is deployed and Alonso takes full advantage and pits. The Spaniard rejoins in fifth on mediums. Hulkenberg and Gasly also take the opportunity to stop, rejoining in 12th and 15th.
Under the VSC, after 18 laps, the majority of the field are on hards, while Alonso and Hulkenberg are on mediums.
The VSC is withdrawn, and as the Ferrari pair are told to hold position, Ocon is advised that his issue was a tear-off in his brake duct.
Sainz leads, with Leclerc second, ahead of Piastri, Norris, Alonso, Russell, Perez, Stroll Tsunoda and Albon.
Sainz posts a new fastest lap (21.602).
"That car is like a rocket ship," says Russell of Perez as the Mexican sweeps by to claim sixth.
As Leclerc and Piastri complain of graining, Ricciardo is suffering understeer.
"Swap the positions," Hulkenberg is told as he and his teammate hunt down Albon.
Enjoying a 3s lead, Sainz posts another fastest lap (21.458) as Alonso drops 9.4s behind Norris.
"I'm starting to get a bit of dirty air, but the pace is still strong," reports Norris.
Perez closes on Alonso, as he extends his lead over Russell to over 6s.
Alonso all but pulls aside for Perez, leaving the Mexican 12s down on Norris.
Albon pits at the end of Lap 27, rejoining in 15th on a second set of hards.
"Swap positions," Piastri is told, the Australian on hards that are 5 laps older than his teammate's.
"Keep in DRS as long as you can," Piastri is told, "Lando's tyres are in a better state."
"I know you are, but we need to try and get up behind Leclerc," Norris is urged. The Briton is 2.7s down on the Ferrari.
Ricciardo pits at the end of Lap 30, rejoining in 17th (last).
"The hards are graining," says Magnussen, "maybe they'll come back."
"As soon as the lights went off the right brake stuck on, so the car was hard to drive from word go, very snappy," says Verstappen. "If the brake is stuck on, that doesn't help."
While Perez isn't closing the (11s) gap to Piastri, Alonso is just 0.9s behind, almost 10s clear of Russell.
"My tyre is gone, front left, I think we cannot wait too much," reports Leclerc.
The Monegasque subsequently pits - at the end of Lap 34 - rejoining in 4th, only just ahead of Perez and Alonso.
Magnussen also pitted.
Next time around Perez pits, the Mexican rejoining in 9th as Hulkenberg and Zhou also stop.
It's a long, long stop for the Chinese driver.
As Tsunoda pits, Albon makes a move on Hulkenberg, the two almost colliding in the process.
"That's so dangerous," says the Thai.
"We need to push," Leclerc is told as he responds with a new fastest lap (20.688).
Stroll pits at the end of Lap 37, the Canadian rejoining in 9th.
"A bit of a flat spot now," reports Piastri after a lock-up. He subsequently pits and rejoins in 5th.
"Box, box," Norris is told. The Briton duly stops, rejoining in third, 8.5s ahead of Alonso.
"You don't think these tyres can go to the end," asks Russell. "That's a discussion we're having," comes the reply.
As Sainz pits, Piastri passes Alonso for fourth. The Aston Martin driver subsequently pits, rejoining in 7th.
Magnussen goes quickest in S2 as he battles with Albon for 11th.
"Russell's our race," Alonso is told, "he's currently on a one-stop, eighteen seconds ahead."
8.4s down on his teammate, Piastri posts a new fastest lap (20.485).
As Piastri posts another fastest lap (20.395), Magnussen finally nails Albon.
Bottas is to be investigated for a pitlane infringement.
Russell pits at the end of Lap 45, the Mercedes driver rejoining in 7th, 2.9s down on Alonso.
Lap 46 sees a new fastest lap from Norris (19.971).
Gasly is under investigation for crossing the line at the pit exit. The Alpine driver is subsequently given a 5s time penalty.
After 48 laps (of 58), it's: Sainz, Leclerc (+ 5.5s), Norris (+ 3.9s), Piastri (+ 9.3s), Perez (+11.5s), Alonso (+ 16.6s), Russell (+ 1.5s), Stroll (+ 9.5s), Tsunoda (+ 3s) and Hulkenberg (+ 2.5s).
Norris posts a new fastest lap (19.915) as Russell closes on Alonso.
Strange that Perez basically appears to have settled for fifth, the Mexican making no effort to close the gap to Piastri.
"Great job, let's keep pushing," Gasly is told. The Frenchman is 7.2s clear of Bottas but don't forget that 5s penalty.
With 4 laps remaining, Russell is just 0.5s down on Alonso and closing. In the Mercedes garage, Hamilton watches on a monitor.
"Tyres don't feel great now," reports Sainz as Norris closes to within 3s of Leclerc as the Monegasque posts a new fastest lap (19.813).
As Sainz starts the final lap Russell crashes out at Turn 8.
It's a big crash, indeed the car is on its side, and understandably the VSC is deployed as Russell confirms that he is "OK".
Replay shows Russell getting very close to Alonso in Turn 6/7 and losing downforce. He brakes hard but suffers oversteer goes off into the gravel before hitting the barriers opposite.
"Tell Charles to come close to me and we celebrate this together," says Sainz.
As Russell climbs in to the medical car, Sainz takes the flag, ahead of Leclerc, Norris, Piastri, Perez, Alonso, Stroll, Tsunoda, Hulkenberg and Magnussen.
Albon is eleventh, ahead of Ricciardo, Gasly, Bottas, Zhou and Ocon.
Check out our Sunday gallery from Melbourne here.
"A very good day for us," Norris tells trackside interviewer, Guenther Steiner, though we're not sure many fans, particularly Australians, will agree. "I'm very happy and proud of the team.
"We missed out on Charles," he continues, "I think our pace was better but he undercut us in the first stint.
"I felt good, I felt I could manage the tyres well. I wasn't really expecting to be on the podium so very happy. It's clear that this circuit suits us a little bit more, but it is still another step to Ferrari and Red Bull, we need to catch up but it is clear we are getting closer."
"It feels good mostly for the team of course," adds Leclerc, "first and second didn't happen since Bahrain 2022.
"Carlos has had an incredible weekend to come back from his surgery, he's done an amazing race.
"In the first stint we had to protect from behind so had to stop earlier, as soon as we stopped at the first stop it was clear, but Carlos has done a better job all weekend and deserves the victory."
"It was a really good race," grins Sainz, "physically it wasn't the easiest but I was mostly on my own so I could manage the pace, manage the tyres.
"Life is crazy," he adds, "what happened at the beginning of the year, the podium in Bahrain, the appendix in Saudi and the win here. I will recommend all the drivers to take their appendix out next winter!" he jokes.
A well-deserved win for Sainz and indeed a nice little 1-2 for Ferrari.
No disrespect to Max or Red Bull but we all needed this... and if nothing else the result should ensure the tiresome Horner, Wolff and Ben Sulayem sagas disappear from the front pages for a few days.
That said, while Sainz was able to take advantage of Verstappen's mistake it is likely that this was all connected with the Dutchman's brake issue, and had the Red Bull been its usual bullet-proof self it is likely that the world champion would have added another win to his tally.
Nonetheless, a well-deserved win for Sainz, and a much-needed result for Ferrari and indeed F1.
Check out our Sunday gallery from Melbourne here.