Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari took his first win of the season with an impressive display in the Australian Grand Prix by taking full advantage a retirement for Max Verstappen in the opening laps of the third Grand Prix of the season.

Verstappen was bidding for a record-equalling 10th victory in a row and he led from pole position but soon reported brake issues opening the door for Sainz to get a run on him and make a move for the lead.

From there, Verstappen’s brake-related woes got worse and, with plumes of smoke exiting the rear of his Red Bull, he pulled off the racing line to let the rest of the field overtake him before returning to the pits and retiring for the first time in two years.

Sainz, just back from appendix surgery went on to build a solid lead over Lando Norris, team mate Charles Leclerc and home favourite Oscar Piastri as the race developed, eventually taking the chequered flag for the third triumph of his F1 career.

Leclerc passed Norris in an undercut move to rise to a net second and back up Sainz for Ferrari’s first one-two finish..Norris completed the podium in third place, his first podium in the McLaren.

“It was a really good race; I felt really good out there,” said Sainz. “Of course, [I’m] a bit stiff, especially physically, it wasn’t the easiest, but I was lucky that I was more or less on my own and I could manage my pace, manage the tyres, manage everything. It wasn’t the toughest race of all, but yeah, very happy, very proud of the team.”