Two weeks after returning from a surgery that had him lose his appendix, Carlos Sainz takes the 3rd win of his career with Ferrari in the Australian Grand Prix. The Spaniard seized the opportunity presented by Max Verstappen‘s unexpected departure from the race due to a mechanical issue on lap 4 of the race. During the race, Sainz showcased his ‘smooth operator’ skills by swiftly overtaking Verstappen on the second lap and then controlling the race from then on.

Despite not feeling completely comfortable behind the wheel due to lingering discomfort from his recent surgery, Sainz demonstrated resilience and determination throughout the Melbourne weekend, culminating in a well-deserved win. He even had a cheeky remark for the rest of the grid during the post-race interviews, suggesting that they get rid of their appendix to lose some weight.

Speaking to Guenther Steiner, Sainz said, “It was a really good race, physically it wasn’t the easiest but I was mostly on my own so I could manage the pace, manage the tires. Life is crazy, 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 it [their appendix] out this winter!“

With Verstappen’s early retirement after a 43-race finishing streak, the race was on between the Ferraris and McLarens for the remaining podium positions behind Carlos Sainz.

How did the Australian Grand Prix unfold behind Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc?

As Verstappen’s challenges caused him to retire with smoke emanating from the back end of his car, Sainz steadily built up a substantial lead over his competitors. Teammate Charles Leclerc supported Ferrari’s dominance by clinching the second spot on the podium, resulting in Ferrari’s first one-two finish since the 2022 season opener.

The race had other notable moments, including McLaren’s Lando Norris achieving his maiden podium of the season and Oscar Piastri showing a strong performance in his home race finishing in 4th place after being told by the team to let his teammate go and chase after the Monegasque. The race also had a dramatic moment right there at the end with a crash by George Russell at the high-speed Turn 6/7 complex. The crash resulted in extensive damage to his Mercedes and needed the deployment of a Virtual Safety Car on the final lap of the race.

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Amidst the chaos, Lance Stroll capitalized on the incident to secure seventh place for Aston Martin, contributing to their points tally alongside teammate Fernando Alonso. Additionally, Yuki Tsunoda earned Visa Cash App RBs their first points of the season with an eighth-place finish. Haas F1 Team also enjoyed a decent outing with Nico Hulkenberg finishing ninth and Kevin Magnussen in tenth, earning valuable points for the team. However, Williams’ decision to substitute Alex Albon into Logan Sargeant’s car did not yield the desired results, as Albon narrowly missed out on points in eleventh place.

Kick Sauber faced continued pit stop woes, with Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu finishing in 14th and 15th place, respectively. Meanwhile, Esteban Ocon of Alpine rounded out the field in the last place.

What are your thoughts on the Australian Grand Prix? Did you enjoy a race where the reigning world champion retired and gave others a chance to fight for the win? Let us know in the comments down below.

Carlos Sainz “Driving Like a Man With No Appendix and No Job” Has Fans Going in a Frenzy as Max Verstappen’s Dominance Finally Shaken in Australia