Max Verstappen바카라s bid to win a record-equalling 10 consecutive races went up in smoke as Ferrari바카라s Carlos Sainz returned from surgery just 16 days ago to win in Australia. (More Motorsports News)
Verstappen suffered a brake failure after just four laps of Sunday바카라s 58-lap race at Melbourne바카라s sun-cooked Albert Park to end his winning streak which stretched back to September바카라s Japanese Grand Prix.
Sainz took advantage of Verstappen바카라s first retirement in 43 races to claim just the third win of his career a fortnight after he was ruled out of the previous round in Saudi Arabia with appendicitis.
Charles Leclerc finished second to complete a Ferrari one-two with Lando Norris next up as the British driver landed his first podium of the year.
Hamilton, who is leaving Mercedes to join Ferrari at the end of the season, has taken just eight points from the opening three rounds 바카라 the worst start of his 18-season career.
Both Mercedes cars failed to make it to the end in Melbourne after George Russell crashed out on the penultimate lap. Russell바카라s Mercedes ended up on his side but the Englishman was able to walk away from the accident.
More than 132,000 spectators were crammed into Albert Park anticipating another Verstappen victory after the Dutch driver took pole position here on Saturday.
And when the 26-year-old held off Sainz at the start and ended the opening lap one second clear of the Spaniard, Verstappen looked on course to take his third victory from the opening three rounds.
But to the amazement of the record crowd in Australia, Sainz sailed past Verstappen on lap two before smoke began pouring out the back of his Red Bull machine.
바카라I have smoke,바카라 he said over the radio 바카라Fire, fire, brake, my brake.바카라
Verstappen was falling back through the pack and the crowd cheered his demise. He managed to get his wounded machine back to the pits before his right-rear brake temporarily caught fire.
Verstappen remonstrated with performance director, Tom Hart at the back of the garage 바카라 appearing to say 바카라that is f***** stupid바카라 바카라 before heading to his changing room and putting on his Red Bull civvies and taking the long walk through the paddock to the media pen.
바카라The brake stuck on from when the lights went off,바카라 said Verstappen. 바카라The temperatures kept on increasing until the point where it caught on fire.
바카라Having one brake caliper on was like driving with the handbrake on. I didn바카라t know at the time but I could feel the balance in the car was off.바카라
Asked about his exchange with Hart, he replied: 바카라That was related to us doing a pit stop while the car was on fire!바카라
It was a bad day for the winners of the past seven world championships after Hamilton바카라s miserable weekend here ended with him stopping on track as his engine expired.
Hamilton started 11th and was running in ninth before his Mercedes gave up the ghost.
Hamilton바카라s previous worst start to a season had been back in 2009 when he was disqualified at the first round before finishing sixth and seventh. Before today바카라s retirement, Hamilton had started the season with a seventh and ninth in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
But for Sainz, the man making way for Hamilton at Ferrari next year, he had an afternoon to remember by leading home a Ferrari one-two from Charles Leclerc with Lando Norris completing the podium.
Sainz took his win under the virtual safety car after Russell바카라s Mercedes dramatically ended up 90 degrees to the floor after he thudded into the wall in his pursuit of Fernando Alonso.
Russell reported over the radio that he was 바카라OK바카라 and was able to walk away from the crash. Oscar Piastri took fourth for McLaren ahead of Sergio Perez바카라s Red Bull with Alonso sixth.
