2024 Australian Grand Prix race report and highlights: Carlos Sainz storms to victory amid drama in Australia as Max Verstappen retires and George Russell crashes out

But just one lap later, DRS came into play, with Sainz using the overtaking aid to close in on Verstappen and sending the crowd wild with a sprint between Turns 9 and 10 – taking full advantage of the situation. It was a “very strange” moment for the defending world champion to win the championship earlier.

“The car is loose,” Verstappen swore on the next lap before cameras captured plumes of smoke billowing from the rear of his Red Bull. “I’m smoking, I’m on fire, I’m on fire, brakes, my brakes,” came the next panicked radio message.

Red Bull’s worst fears were confirmed as Verstappen slowed down, dropped speed, entered the pits and retired with visibly damaged right rear wheel hub, which the mechanics wheeled back into the garage for closer inspection.

At the front, Sainz now has a golden opportunity to convert his lead into a first non-Red Bull win of 2024, with Norris ahead of Leclerc, Piastri, Russell and Perez. To second place, Stroll, Tsunoda, Hamilton and Alonso also completed the final points payment position of the game.

Since the lap time chart has not yet reached double digits, Hamilton, Ricciardo, and Zhou Jian, the starting drivers of soft tires, pitted to compete with hard tires. Russell was the first driver among the leaders to give up medium tires and switch to hard tires. Bottas then experienced another slow pit stop nut problem at the wheel.