► Max doesn’t win due to DNF
► But would the Ferraris have beaten him anyway?
► What’s going on at Mercedes?
It’s happened again; someone other than Max Verstappen has won a Formula One race. This time – like last time – the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz took the victory, with his team mate Charles Leclerc close behind. After that came the McLarens, followed by the lone Red Bull of Sergio Perez.
Verstappen’s chance faded early on due to a rare mechanical failure, but some in the paddock think the Ferrari cars may have had the pace to beat him on track. Sadly we’ll never know.
Other events included a controversial penalty for Alonso, a pretty cynical strategy from Williams and a Mercedes team that seems more lost than ever. So, was this race the shot in the arm F1 needed – or was it just another boring race with a different – but similarly dominant winner? Here’s what we learnt at the Australia GP.
1. Williams makes some unpopular decisions
James Vowles is one of the most liked team principals in the paddock, and for good reason; he explains the inner workings of strategies and decisions with a clarity and simplicity that everyone can understand. However, this weekend he delivered some pretty unpopular news.
A heavy crash on Friday from Alex Albon left the Williams team with no time to repair his chassis and no spare either. Williams’ solution? Take Logan Sargeant’s car and give it to Albon instead.
Of course, it’s all about getting the most points possible, but the decision sends two rather unfortunate messages: despite re-signing Logan Sargeant, it’s clear the team doesn’t really see him as the same calibre as his teammate, and this decision can’t be framed in any other way.
Secondly, it reminds us that although it’s made strides in performance, logistically – and now in terms of strategy – Williams is still a solid backmarker. Can you imagine any other team taking away a car from one driver and giving it to another in 2024? It’s a shame as it comes during a time of relative resurgence in Grove.
2. Hamilton must be counting down the days ‘til 2025
The Mercedes team went into 2024 quietly optimistic that it’d fixed many of the issues that had plagued it for the last two years – but the last two races suggest the W15 may be just as prickly as its predecessor. Both Russell and especially Hamilton struggled for pace all weekend, with the former not even making it into the last qualifying session.
The race proved to be even more miserable, with Hamilton’s engine expiring and Russell crashing on the final lap – though there may have been other factors involved. Either way, it seems as though the W15 is just as unpredictable as the ’23 and ’24 cars and it’s now the third or fourth fastest team; behind Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren. It’s also been 62 races since the Brackley team scored no points.
Hamilton must have at least enjoyed seeing his 2025 car and team win the race.
3. Perez is having a serious dip in performance
Despite Verstappen’s issues there was still one other Red Bull left in the race, but you’d be hard pressed to have noticed: After a bright start to 2023, Sergio Perez’s performance has dropped and never really recovered, and Australia was a great example of the new normal.
The Mexican could only manage fifth place in the race, with two McLarens and two Ferraris well ahead of him. Let’s be honest, Perez has a tricky job; too good and he’ll put unpopular pressure on Verstappen, too bad and he doesn’t win when Max can’t.
With the performance gap between Red Bull and the other teams slowly narrowing, Red Bull will need a driver that it can rely on, and that doesn’t seem like Perez right now.
4. The stewards think Alonso crossed the line
Wheel-to-wheel racing in a Formula One car is an art form, and one hard to master. Getting round a corner quickly while still being able to attack and defend is something few drivers really nail – but Alonso is an expert. Alongside Hamilton, the Spaniard has always been known for his cerebral car positioning when on the attack or defence – but the stewards feel he got it a bit wrong on Sunday.
Picture the scene, Russell – again on a late charge – closes up to Alonso at super rate, and he ends up spinning into the barrier. Have a look at the replay and it’s clear Alonso is parking his car on the apex, forcing George to compromise the corner. The idea is that George then doesn’t get to take the corner as he wishes and use his extra pace against Alonso.
Instead, the stewards found this manoeuvre by Alonso to be dangerous and worthy of punishment. The penalty? 20 seconds added to his race time.
It sets an interesting precedent and raises some equally interesting questions: would Alonso’s driving have been investigated had Russell not crashed? Was his car as broken as he said? And to what extent are the stewards now able to tell the drivers how to approach corners and defend their position? Let me know what you think in the comments.
5. George Russell isn’t a team leader… yet
The accident above also marked Russell’s second last-lap mistake in less than a year, with the first coming at the Singapore 2023 race – a race his team could’ve won. Russell’s side of the garage maybe happier with the car than Hamilton’s (or at least say words to that affect) but it appears Mercedes’ soon-to-be-leader is still a little rough around the edges.
If Russell is to lead the team to success again, he’ll need to iron out these small mistakes, as they’ve all had huge consequences.
6. Formula 1 can be boring, and it’s not because of Verstappen
It’s pretty natural for racing fans to want anyone but Max Verstappen to win at this point, but in many ways Sainz’s victory on Sunday felt a bit hollow without the world champion. Verstappen (through no fault of his own) never really got the chance to fight with the Ferrari cars, and that meant we never really saw Max toppled at all.
Instead, with the lead Red Bull out the way, we got a rather processional two-by-two, with the Ferrari cars taking it easy up front and the McLarens providing no real pressure either. Fifth was Sergio Perez, whose performance only flatters Verstappen at this point. Later the Mexican said Verstappen wouldn’t have had the pace to win even if he was in the race – but if I was Perez I’d say the same.
Still, the lack of interest makes you think; is F1 boring right now because Max Verstappen always wins, or because the rules don’t promote good racing and Verstappen doesn’t even have a team mate to fight with? Sadly, I think it’s the latter; while Sunday’s race may look like a thriller on paper – it wasn’t really.