Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz took the first non-Red Bull win of the season with an impressive display during the 2024 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, taking advantage of technical trouble for Max Verstappen in the opening laps that forced the reigning world champion to retire. A compromised second lap opened the door for Sainz to get a run on him and make a move for the lead. All the same, Leclerc managed to overtake Norris precisely because he had stopped first and could better exploit the performance of new Hard tyres in the opening laps of his second stint. Ocon was the only driver to make three stops, but that was forced on him by the need to make a very early first pit stop to remove a visor tear-off from a brake duct. Significant graining was also evident on the Hard, which was never used on the first two days, but nevertheless, it was manageable. Regarding stint length, George Russell’s second stint ran 37 laps on the C3, and Fernando Alonso did 24 on the C4.

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