Carlos Sainz has won in Melbourne for the first time, taking out the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.
The Spaniard recovered from recent appendix surgery to claim a memorable Ferrari one-two result alongside teammate Charles Leclerc.
McLaren's Lando Norris rounded out the podium, while local hope Oscar Piastri finished in P4.
It was a dramatic start at Albert Park, with pole-sitter Max Verstappen retiring due to a brake fault five laps in before Lewis Hamilton dropped out with an engine failure.
The action continued right up until the final lap when George Russell suffered a heavy crash as he pursued Fernando Alonso, bringing out the virtual safety car to end the race.
MORE: Watch Formula 1 live with Fubo (free trial)
F1 Australia: Results and standings from Melbourne
| Lap 58/58 | Driver | ||
| 1. | Carlos Sainz | 11. | Alex Albon |
| 2. | Charles Leclerc | 12. | Daniel Ricciardo |
| 3. | Lando Norris | 13. | Pierre Gasly |
| 4. | Oscar Piastri | 14. | Valtteri Bottas |
| 5. | Sergio Perez | 15. | Guanyu Zhou |
| 6. | Lance Stroll | 16. | Esteban Ocon |
| 7. | Yuki Tsunoda | DNF | George Russell |
| 8. | Fernando Alonso* | DNF | Lewis Hamilton |
| 9. | Nico Hulkenberg | DNF | Max Verstappen |
| 10. | Kevin Magnussen | DNS | Logan Sargeant |
*Received a 20-second penalty after the race
F1 Australia: Pre-race grid order
1. Verstappen (Red Bull), 2. Sainz (Ferrari), 3. Norris (McLaren), 4. Leclerc (Ferrari), 5. Piastri (McLaren), 6. Perez (Red Bull), 7. Russell (Mercedes), 8. Tsunoda (RB), 9. Stroll (Aston Martin), 10. Alonso (Aston Martin)
11. Hamilton (Mercedes), 12. Albon (Williams), 13. Bottas (Stake), 14. Magnussen (Haas), 15. Ocon (Alpine), 16. Hulkenberg (Haas), 17. Gasly (Alpine), 18. Ricciardo (RB), Pit Lane. Zhou (Stake)
MORE: F1 2024 standings
Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix analysis
Ferrari's Carlos Sainz defies the odds after appendix surgery
Sainz's victory in Melbourne was impressive enough, but even more so considering his preparation for the race.
Two weeks ago, he underwent appendix surgery and missed the race in Saudi Arabia.
He recovered quickly and returned with a bang in Australia, qualifying strongly before dominating the race.
It marks his first win at Albert and the third victory of his F1 career, following triumphs at Silverstone and in Singapore.
Sunday was also the perfect afternoon for Ferrari, with the Scuderia recording their first one-two finish since the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2022.
Leclerc raced confidently and kept McLaren's Norris at bay.
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton suffer early retirements
Arguably the two biggest names in modern-day F1, Verstappen and Hamilton both fell victim to mechanical faults.
Verstappen – who began the race on pole – was easily passed by Sainz on the second lap.
His car then began to visibly slow down, before the right rear of his Red Bull began to smoke.
He pulled into the pits after just five laps, bringing an end to an impressive 43-race streak without a retirement.
"We could see in the data [that] as soon as lights went off, the right rear brake just stuck on," Verstappen told Sky Sports F1.
"The temperature just kept on increasing – it was basically [like] driving with the handbrake on."
As for Hamilton, he suffered an engine failure on Lap 17, which saw him crawl around Albert Park before stopping.
This brought out the virtual safety car, although the seven-time world champion's Mercedes was quickly moved off the track.
George Russell was the third driver to record a DNF when he suffered a heavy crash on the final lap, fizzing through the gravel and bouncing off the barrier.
Post-race, Fernando Alonso was handed a 20-second penalty for "potentially dangerous" driving in front of Russell before the incident. This saw him drop from P6 to P8.
The three retirements opened the door for some struggling teams to score points.
Notably, Yuki Tsunoda finished seventh for RB, while Haas duo Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen took the last two points-paying positions.
Oscar Piastri scores points in home race, Daniel Ricciardo struggles
Piastri is establishing himself as one of the most consistent drivers in F1, bagging points in all three faces so far this season.
He finished P4 on Sunday and could have squeezed onto the podium if things had gone his way.
The Melbourne-born talent was subject to team orders midway through the race and had to let his McLaren teammate Norris – who was on fresher tires – pass.
He then locked up later, losing around four precious seconds.
The result leaves him in an impressive fifth position in the drivers' standings.
It was a very different afternoon for fellow countryman Daniel Ricciardo, though.
Starting from P18 after exceeding track limits in qualifying, the Perth native failed to make many notable overtakes.
However, he was aided by the three retirements and a penalty to Pierre Gasly, finishing just outside of the points in P12.
F1 Australian Grand Prix live updates, results, highlights from Melbourne
CARLOS SAINZ WINS THE AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX
What a performance from the Spaniard! A fortnight after undergoing appendix surgery, he takes the victory in Melbourne. His Ferrari teammate Leclerc finishes second for an impressive one-two result. Norris finishes P3 to round out the podium.
Lap 58: Big crash for Russell on the final lap! He loses control and flies through gravel both rebounding off the barrier. The Mercedes driver is okay, though.
LAP 58/58
Big crash for George Russell 💥
The Mercedes driver radioes to say he's okay.
The race will finish behind the Virtual Safety Car #F1 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/SjooKJ8Y5v — Formula 1 (@F1) March 24, 2024
Lap 53: The race has calmed down now. Russell has Alonso in P6 in his sights. Apart from that, the podium and points battles are relatively settled.
Lap 50: Today's attendance at Albert Park has been confirmed as 132,106 – a Sunday record. Across the four days, a huge 452,055 fans have gone through the gates.
Lap 49: Gasly has received a five-second penalty for crossing the line coming out of the pit exit.
Lap 43: 15 laps to go and the Sainz-Leclerc-Norris podium looks pretty set. Could we be in for another unexpected twist, though?
Lap 39: Piastri locks up and goes off the track. He regains his composure but has lost around four seconds.
Lap 37: Zhou has a very slow stop and is lapped by Sainz once he comes out of the pits.
Lap 35: A bit of mind games at the top, with Leclerc reporting tire degradation. Both Ferrari and McLaren set up for pit stops, but it's only the Monegasque driver who comes in. Norris and Piastri occupy P2 and P3 for now.
Lap 31: Verstappen has an update on his race retirement: "At the start of the race the right rear brake just stuck on ... it was like driving with the handbrake on," he told Sky Sports.
Lap 29: McLaren have issued team orders, with Piastri letting Norris pass him. A tough decision for the Australian in his home race, but understandable considering the Brit's pace on the younger tires.
Lap 27: Sainz is still having a ball at the front – he sets another fastest lap and extends his lead to over four seconds.
Lap 26: The Haas pair of Hulkenberg and Magnussen are running a respectable race, sitting in P11 and P12 as it stands. A good chance for valuable points.
Lap 23: Melbourne local Piastri is still holding his own in third, two seconds ahead of Norris. Can he claim a special podium at his home race?
Lap 21: Leclerc is just over a second behind his teammate and leader Sainz, although the latter has tires that are six laps fresher.
Lap 17: Another retirement! Hamilton has suffered an engine failure and is crawling around the Albert Park track. A virtual safety car has been called.
LAP 17/58
Hamilton is crawling around the track looking for a place to pull over
Looks like engine issues have ended his race ❌
VIRTUAL SAFETY CAR #F1 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/tu77Zcfi86 — Formula 1 (@F1) March 24, 2024
This has played out beautifully for Alonso, who can take a cheap pitstop as the only driver yet to change tires.
Lap 16: Sainz finally pits after enjoying himself out front, setting the fastest lap.
Lap 12: Piastri is a man on a mission after his pit stop as he flies past Hulkenberg and Gasly. Could be tight between the Australian and Norris when his teammate pits.
Lap 9: Several drivers already pitting. There appears to be a lot of graining on the soft and medium tires.
Lap 5: Verstappen is OUT! A dramatic start to the race in Melbourne, with the world champion pulling into the pits as his right rear brake smokes profusely. It appears to be a mechanical failure that was completely out of his hands. That's a 43-race streak without a retirement over for Verstappen.
LAP 4/58
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 24, 2024
DRAMA!
Verstappen's car is smoking! #F1 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/FvzXvL4gqZ
Lap 2: Sainz leads! The Ferrari driver – who missed the last race due to appendix surgery – cruises past Verstappen into Turn 9.
LAP 2/58
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 24, 2024
What a move from Sainz! 🤩
The Smooth Operator passes Verstappen and LEADS! #F1 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/TmVFP6AbMc
Russell has also got past Perez, while Hamilton has moved into the points.
LIGHTS OUT: It's a miracle – everyone has made it through the first turn unscathed!
5 mins to lights out: There is quite a variation of tire choices on the grid, which could play a major role. It's 20C and sunny in Melbourne, so managing tire temperatures will be key.
10 mins to lights out: Advance Australia Fair has been sung at Albert Park, and we're not far away from the race start now.
30 mins to lights out: Verstappen will be the heavy favourite for today's race again, with the chance to win his Grand Prix in a row this season. With no one starting in front of the Dutchman, you'd be brave to pick against him.
60 mins to lights out: Today's event in Melbourne has a notable change from past editions – fans will not be allowed to join in the traditional 'track invasion'. Fans had previously been permitted to enter the track after the race and witness the trophy presentation under the podium. However, last year's track invasion was found to be unsafe by the FIA, so the decision was made to cancel it for 2024.
90 mins to lights out: Fans may notice that there are only 19 cars set to race the today's race, one less than the traditional grid. This is because Logan Sargeant's Williams has been handed to teammate Alex Albon after the latter crashed his car during practice. Albon lost control of his car during FP1 on Friday, sustaining damage so significant that the vehicle required a new chassis – which Williams did not bring to Australia.
2 hours to lights out: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of the F1 Australian Grand Prix.
It's race day in Melbourne, and Albert Park is buzzing with anticipation.
F1 Australian Grand Prix grid, qualifying recap
It was a clean but exciting qualifying session in Melbourne on Saturday.
Max Verstappen posted a blistering 1:15.915 in Q3 and earned the right to start from pole position.
Another mighty lap from Max Verstappen earns him a 35th career pole 🙌#F1 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/8Xs1W7fKBg — Formula 1 (@F1) March 23, 2024
The Red Bull star had been jostling with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz throughout the final session but Verstappen found the time when it mattered, ahead of Sainz in second and Sergio Perez in third.
Perez, however, was handed a three-spot grid penalty for impeding Nico Hulkenberg.
This means local hope Oscar Piastri will start from fifth, with his teammate Lando Norris in third in a positive result for McLaren.
In a minor shock, Lewis Hamilton – who has started on pole eight times in Melbourne – was dropped right at the death of Q2 after a shuffle of places in the final few seconds. He’ll start P11 on race day.
At the back of the grid, Aussie fan favourite Daniel Ricciardo will start from P18 after he was eliminated in Q1.
The Western Australian posted a time that was good enough for P10 right at the end of the session but was found to have breached track limits, seeing him drop out.
F1 live stream, TV channel
| Country | TV channel | Live stream |
| USA | — | FUBO, F1TV |
| Canada | TSN (English); RDS (French) | TSN Direct |
| UK | Sky Sports F1 | SkyGo, NOW TV |
| Australia | Fox Sports, Channel 10 | Foxtel Go, Kayo Sports, 10 Play |
| India | — | F1 TV Pro |