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The 2024 F1 Australian GP proved to be quite a spectacle, with Carlos Sainz ending Max Verstappen's win streak and handing Ferrari its first win of the season. The Spaniard took the lead from the Dutch driver on the first lap and never looked back. There was, however, drama behind him—plenty of it.
Max Verstappen would drop out of the race with overheating brakes, Lewis Hamilton would suffer from a power unit failure, and George Russell would suffer a massive crash on the very last lap. All in all, the 2024 F1 Australian GP delivered in terms of drama, action, and the feel-good factor that's been missing in the sport for a while.
On a race weekend where Carlos Sainz came off a fresh surgery to win his third career race, what did we learn? Let's take a look.
2024 F1 Australian GP: What did we learn?
#1 Carlos Sainz deserves a top seat
Would a team look at Carlos Sainz as a driver who would win the team a title? After the F1 Australian GP? Yes, it would. Over a season? Probably not. Having said that, what Carlos is as a driver is a handy pair of hands who would continue to push hard on crucial days.
The Spaniard was brilliant and teams like Mercedes, Red Bull, Audi and Aston Martin would be keeping a close eye on how his season unravels.
#2 Ferrari is heading in the right direction
This '1-2 finish' is a sign of how impressively things have been coming together for Ferrari. The team is not there yet, for sure. There's a gap when it comes to the top team in F1 and the Italian squad but improvements are being made. On a day when Max Verstappen was not there, the team got the best possible result.
While the championship standings might show that the gap is massively reduced, a brilliant foundation is being built to mount a title challenge.
#3 Red Bull's over-reliance on Max Verstappen exposed
After the race, Christian Horner revealed that Sergio Perez could not have done much better because the car had suffered floor damage while overtaking Fernando Alonso. This is precisely the point where one should ideally ask what the Mexican was doing battling an Aston Martin in the F1 Australian GP.
Could Max Verstappen have won the F1 Australian GP? Maybe, maybe not. But at the same time, one has to wonder what a driver who's closer to Max in performance would have done. Red Bull needs a better No. 2 driver, and this race should be a lesson in that.
#4 Toto Wolff has his priorities all wrong
The amount of time Toto Wolff has spent trying to lure Max Verstappen to Mercedes has been laughable. The issue, though, is that at the moment, his team is basically a midfield outfit with the 5th fastest car that is not showing much upside on track.
There's a lack of positivity in the camp and a whole load of dejection. The F1 Australian GP, where the German team bagged a double DNF, should be a reminder for Toto Wolff that Mercedes may no longer be an attractive offer for someone who is used to winning races every weekend.
#5 McLaren's upgrade is going to keep everyone intrigued
McLaren's start to the season was a bit underwhelming in Bahrain, but the last two races have been positive. The team has a podium in the bag now as well. When you consider the fact that the team is yet to bring its major upgrade, it does make you wonder what this car could be capable of when the upgrade is in place.
Interesting times ahead for the Woking based squad as everyone keeps an eye on their big upgrade.
#6 Fernando Alonso missed the mark in the F1 Australian GP
In terms of driving, Alonso drove a brilliant race in Melbourne until the penultimate lap. The penalty was justified at the end of the day because, in the replays it does appear that there was a sudden decrease in gap. A brilliant drive from the Spaniard maligned by a misjudged move.
#7 Lewis Hamilton is all at sea at Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton did not look himself in Australia and the nonchalant nature of his response to the weekend shows that something is off. Such a resigned look this early in a 24-race season is not a good sign. The farewell tour might not be a pretty one for the Mercedes legend.
#8 Daniel Ricciardo continues to struggle at RB
While it is premature to just call for Daniel Ricciardo's head at RB, the first three races have shown that something's not right. Either the Australian is completely past it in terms of performance, or there is something that's not unlocked yet. Hearing Daniel after the race, he hints towards the latter, but you have to question whether Red Bull will have the patience after this showing.
#9 Alpine is tragically slow
While Esteban Ocon believes points were on the table if not for the enforced extra pitstop, it's hard to believe him as there was a point in the race when his teammate was almost 20 seconds behind the next car in the race.
The car is tragically slow, and there are hardly any good points. The team desperately waits for any positive news, and you have to wonder how long the drivers will keep faith.
#10 Williams and Sauber didn't have the best race weekend in Australia
If someone claimed that Sauber was going to be Audi in just 21 months time, one would be shocked at the prospects of the team. The team does not have a strong enough car. It has taken sponsorship from a gambling and streaming platform and the pitstops are almost tragic. There's nothing redeemable about the Swiss team right now and one has to wonder how it will attract any talent to Hinwil.
Williams, on the other hand, bit the bullet at the F1 Australian GP and sat out Logan Sargeant. While this may have been the right decision, one has to question how an F1 team does not have a spare chassis during a cost cap era? Williams is just too far behind at this stage, and it will take a long time for the team to get back to being a decent midfielder.
