‘Red flag! I’m in the middle of the track’: Stranded F1 driver pleaded for protection moments before Ferrari win
By Carla Jaeger
Carlos Sainz completed a remarkable recovery from illness on a red-letter day for Ferrari in Melbourne, claiming the Australian Grand Prix and a quinella for his team just two weeks after surgery for appendicitis.
On a drama-packed day, highlighted by world champion Max Verstappen’s early exit due to a brake failure, Sainz notched his third career grand prix win at an event organisers said attracted a record four-day attendance of 452,055.
Charles Leclerc showers F1 winner Carlos Sainz in champagne.Credit: AP
In the days leading up to the race it wasn’t even certain that Sainz would take his place in the field. Just a week ago, he could barely move from his bed as he recovered from the emergency surgery.
“[But] when I landed in Australia, the feeling was a lot better. Every 24 hours I was making a lot more progress,” he said.
Ferrari came away with a one-two result in Melbourne, the Prancing Horse outfit capitalising fully on Verstappen’s dramatic exit on the fourth lap.
Sainz’s teammate, 2022 winner Charles Leclerc, came second, ahead of McLaren pair Lando Norris and Australian Oscar Piastri.
Piastri at times looked in line for a podium finish.
“[Racing] at home, I would have loved to have stayed in third, but for me that was completely fair,” the 22-year-old said of the team orders that saw him swap places with teammate Norris.
Norris said he was gathering pace and would have overtaken teammate Piastri regardless of McLaren’s instruction.
“You don’t want to delay the process of that happening, and the longer I spent behind him the worse it was making my chance of taking Charles [Leclerc] and trying to be ahead of Charles,” he said. “I don’t think the result changed at all.
“He made my life easier, and I think helped us as a team, which I thank him for a lot, and we have a lot of respect for one another in these kinds of situations. I don’t think the result changed at all, but for any driver who’s racing in front of their home fans, you want to be on the podium.”
George Russell waits in his upturned Mercedes after the crash in the closing stages of the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday.Credit: Getty Images
The race finished moments later, under safety car conditions, when Brit George Russell crashed into the tyre barriers on turn six of the final lap while challenging Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso for sixth place.
Stranded in the middle of the track, with his Mercedes on its side and cars approaching at speeds of more than 215 km/h, Russell called for a red flag on his radio 12 times.
But the virtual safety car was not deployed until more than 10 seconds after his car stopped.
“I’m in the middle! Red! F---ing hell,” the British driver said.
“Why so long?” Russell asked when team principal Toto Wolff checked in on his condition. “[It’s] too long. I’m OK, I’m in the middle of the track, the car’s upside down.”
Stewards reviewed the incident between Russell and Alonso after the race, and gave the Spaniard a 20-second penalty for dangerous driving when they found he had deliberately slowed down early before the corner.
Verstappen’s exit on the fourth lap opened the door for Sainz and Leclerc to deliver a triumphant day for the Ferrari team, which has a huge following in Melbourne.
“It wasn’t easy, but it was good that I was more or less on my own,” Sainz said.
“Life is a rollercoaster, eh? Life is incredible sometimes,” he said over the team radio immediately after his win.
Asked about his recovery from the surgery, the F1 driver joked: “I’d recommend drivers to take it out.”
The race opened up when Verstappen, the reigning champion – starting in pole and chasing a 10th straight GP win – was forced out in the fourth lap after his car caught fire.
The dramatic scenes witnessed by a record Sunday crowd of 132,106, according to the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, intensified 13 laps later when Russell’s Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton suffered an engine failure in his vehicle, forcing the two-time winner out of the race.
Verstappen had finished the past 43 consecutive races, a streak 28 races longer than any other driver on the grid. The last time he was forced to retire was in the 2022 Australian Grand Prix, adding to his streak of misfortune in Melbourne.
The Dutchman said he knew within the first lap something had gone wrong with his car, which caught fire in the fourth lap, forcing his retirement.
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz celebrates his win in the Australian Grand Prix.Credit: AP
“My right rear brake basically stuck on from when the lights went on, so the temperature just kept increasing to the point it caught fire,” he told reporters in the paddock.
The Red Bull driver – who has led the championship for a record 41 successive races, winning 19 times last year, also a record – said mechanics were yet to determine the cause of the issue.
“Of course I’m disappointed with not being able to finish the race because I think we would’ve had a good shot at winning because the balance felt quite nice … I felt confident and a good improvement compared to … what we did in practice, but some things you can’t control,” he said.
“I would like to win. We had a lot of good races, and good reliability. I knew the day would come where you would have a retirement, and unfortunately that day is today.”
Leclerc, who won for Ferrari in 2022, said he was not worried about the future of his teammate Sainz, despite the decision from Ferrari to cut ties with the Spaniard at the end of this season.
Questioned whether Sainz was underrated as a driver, Leclerc said: “I think everybody knows Carlos’ worth. In the paddock, he is one of the highest-rated drivers ... he’s been extremely strong every time he’s been in a Formula 1 car.
“That’s why I’ve said many times that I’m not too worried about his future because I’m sure that many team principals are – he doesn’t say [whether they’re in discussions about signing the F1 driver] – but I’m sure they’re speaking with him.”
Leclerc paused to laugh, looking over at Sainz sitting beside him, before adding: “I’m sure he will have many opportunities, and he’ll just have to make the best choice for his career.”
It was a rough day for Mercedes, with Hamilton describing this year as the “worst season start I’ve ever had”.
“It’s tough on the spirit for everyone on the team when so much has gone on through the winter for everybody,” he said.
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