Two weeks after undergoing emergency appendicitis surgery in Saudi Arabia, Carlos Sainz arrived in Australia, saw, ran and won. Yes, he won! He took down Max Verstappen. Once again he, the only non-Red Bull driver who was able to beat the untouchable Dutchman last year, again nailed the three-time champion, who had to retire with brake failure on his RB20 . An unprecedented fact. The Madrid driver from Ferrari, with his third victory in F-1, climbs to fourth place in the World Championship and stands, due to solidity, as the main rival for the title that the three-time champion will have this 2024, in which he threatened to spend a another roller The subsequent success, a podium in Bahrain and the victory in Albert Park, comes to Carlos Sainz at the beginning of the year of his farewell to the Ferrari team, which preferred to sign Lewis Hamilton and keep Charles Leclerc. “Life is like a roller coaster, it’s incredible. Thank you, Ferrari”, exclaimed the Madrid native on the radio, who when he got off the SF-24 expressed that strange accumulation of sensations that he has been experiencing since the winter, when Ferrari announced the signing of Hamilton on February 1. “This win shows that hard work pays off and life is great sometimes, because I started the year with the news of the non-renewal, then I went from the podium [in Bahrain] to the appendicitis operation [in Saudi Arabia], the comeback and the victory [in Australia]… It’s been a rollercoaster, but it shows you that you should never give up, that you should always be there. I appreciate it and am extremely happy. I recommend all pilots to remove their appendix”, joked the Madrid native, who missed the Jeddah race two weeks ago lying in a hospital due to an appendicitis operation. With no trace of the intervention, Sainz was strong in practice, aspired to pole position, led two of the three qualifying heats and only conceded in the final Q3 to the ineffable Verstappen. However, that second position on the grid would open the gates of Melbourne heaven for him. After the start was resolved without major changes – Sainz was unable to disturb the Dutchman – the surprise came when Verstappen started to pull. On the second lap, Sainz saw a hole to the right of the Red Bull and slipped into it. He didn’t think twice. The energetic car came out of turn 3 badly and the Madrid driver overtook the Dutchman to take the lead. “I felt that I could maintain his pace in the first lap and stay within a distance of DRS. He lost the car at turn 3 and it was an opportunity for me to approach him and overtake him”, commented Sainz, who considered Verstappen’s abandonment “a shame”, “because I think we would have had a good fight for the victory”. It was on lap 4 when the Red Bull was smoking due to brake problems and Verstappen had to retire. It was the first abandonment of the three-time champion since Australia 2022, no less than 43 races he did not finish one, 35 of which he had won. Without Verstappen on track, Sainz found himself with a clear field to build on the lead and ride to victory. The Madrid native began to open a gap with Norris and Pérez, but it would be Leclerc who escorted him to second position taking advantage of the virtual safety car caused by the breakdown of Hamilton’s Mercedes. Another nod to Sainz, who never saw the victory in danger. The Madrid native had the detail to slow down and ask Ferrari to approach Leclerc to celebrate together the double, the first of the reds in two years, since Bahrain 2022. Greatness and generosity of Sainz also in the victory.

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