Damien Smith
As he radioed in on his cooldown lap, “life is a rollercoaster” for Carlos Sainz right now. Two weeks earlier in Saudi Arabia, the Spaniard was benched when appendicitis led to emergency surgery. Teenage reserve Oliver Bearman stepped up and stole the show with an assured grand prix debut in a Ferrari. But in Australia, Sainz was ready to reclaim his seat despite his insides feeling “weird”.
To then outperform his teammate Charles Leclerc and win sensationally, passing Red Bull’s Max Verstappen before a brake fire sidelined the reigning champion for the first time in 43 races, made this a special display – especially in the added context of Ferrari discarding him for next year in favour of Lewis Hamilton.
There’s a seat beside Verstappen available for 2025, so it was a good time for Sainz to remind Christian Horner and Helmut Marko that he is a very different prospect to the young driver they dropped from their roster way back in 2017.
FERRARI IN THE FIGHT?
Formula 1 heads to Suzuka this week for the Japanese Grand Prix’s new spring date and hopefully better weather than it experienced in October. In the wake of Ferrari’s emphatic one-two in Melbourne, is Red Bull now facing a genuine fight for the world championship? Let’s not get carried away. Albert Park isn’t a reliable barometer of true form and Suzuka’s fast sweeps will play to Red Bull’s bounteous downforce-laden strengths.
Verstappen is likely to banish his Aussie blip to memory on Sunday. But then again, you never know – which is why millions still tune in.
MERCEDES’ TOUGH TIME
As the man he will soon replace soars, Hamilton is contemplating what he has publicly labelled his worst start to an F1 season.
In Australia, he was once again narrowly out-qualified by Mercedes-AMG team-mate George Russell, then retired on lap 16 with engine failure. Naturally, the 39-year-old’s critics have been quick to jump on his struggles as evidence of fading powers, but all the opening races have really suggested is that his instinct to quit Mercedes for a roll of the dice at Ferrari was fully justified.
His current team is all at sea with a W15 built to a new, supposedly stabler concept. Whatever the data says of its potential, the car looks a handful on track and one in which neither Hamilton nor Russell can fully commit with genuine belief.
The crisis has also turned a spotlight on Toto Wolff, who only recently
