McLaren achieved third and fourth, but would not have made any new Australian fans with team orders.
Carlos Sainz improved his CV for future job interviews, as he looks for a seat in 2025.
Meanwhile, the handbrake was pulled on Max Verstappen’s hopes for 10 race wins in a row.
Here are five key moments from the Australian Arabia Grand Prix.
1. Piastri asked to move over for teammate
Australian Oscar Piastri drove a solid race in his hometown to finish fourth, the best finish by an Australian at Albert Park.
However, he finished behind his teammate Lando Norris, who was able to achieve McLaren’s first podium of the season.
Team orders were called on Piastri at the mid-way point of the race, with McLaren asking the Aussie to give up third place to Norris.
Piastri had pitted five laps earlier than Norris and got the undercut on his teammate before the Briton with fresher tyres began to catch up.
The decision was not met with excitement from the home crowd, who were visibly silent as the Briton passed their hero.
However, the Australian said the decision was the right call by the team.
“It was fine. Lando qualified in front and we tried something a bit different with the first stop,” he said.
“He was quicker than me in the middle of [the second] stint.
“Lando was a bit quicker so that was completely fair.”
2. Verstappen driving with the handbrake on
Max Verstappen went into Sunday’s race with a chance to equal his own record of 10 consecutive F1 grand prix victories.
But the Dutchman said he had a brake issue from the start of the race.
He was overtaken on the second lap and retired the car by lap five with his right-rear brake on fire.
“It looks like the brake has bound on, pretty much from the start of the race,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said.
“As Max described, it was like having a handbrake, which caused him to have a couple of moments.
“Then the heat is building, and building, and building, and then the resultant fire.”
It is Red Bull’s first retirement from a mechanical failure since the 2022 Australian Grand Prix.
3. Sainz completes the perfect job interview
Carlos Sainz currently does not have a drive for the 2025 season.
Ferrari extended Charles Leclerc’s contract and signed Lewis Hamilton for 2025.
It leaves Sainz looking for a new team next season.
The Spaniard has been brilliant this season.
He was third in the season-opener, but missed Saudia Arabia with appendicitis.
Less than three weeks after surgery, Sainz produced one of the great performances in recent memory.
“You cannot imagine how proud I am, especially because, you know tough of a start to the year it’s been with me with a [contract] non-renewal,” he said.
“With the uncertainty of ‘am I going to be back?’ you come back and win.
“I’m still jobless for next year. I know when I’m given a good car I can get it done.”
Mercedes has a seat free with the departure of Hamilton, while Red Bull’s Sergio Perez is off contract at the end of this season.
4. Norris takes an unwanted F1 record
Records in F1 have been falling at a seemingly regular rate during the Max Verstappen era.
However, Lando Norris achieved an F1 record in Australia — but one he won’t be gloating about.
Norris’s third place was the 14th podium of his career.
It is the most podiums by a driver without having a race win — overtaking retired German driver Nick Heidfeld.
Norris will be hoping to hand the record back to Heidfeld soon with his maiden F1 win.
5. New attendance record set at Albert Park
F1’s popularity in Australia continues to rise, with fans coming through the gates in record numbers.
A total of 452,055 attended Albert Park this weekend, a new record for the circuit.
Melbourne currently has the longest contract with F1, with a race set to be held at Albert Park every year until 2037, solidifying it as one of the sport’s marquee weekends.
Sports content to make you think… or allow you not to. A newsletter delivered each Friday.
Discussion about this post