\n<\/p>\n
In front of a record Melbourne crowd of 132,106 – and a weekend high of 452,055 – Sainz was in imperious form, just 16 days after having surgery to remove his appendix that forced him to miss the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.<\/p>\n
The 29-year-old – who has been describing the “weird” feeling of “everything in the inside just feels like it’s moving more than normal” after his operation – tracked Verstappen around the opening lap. And after Verstappen made a mistake at Turn Three on the second lap, Sainz was able to pass the Red Bull down the curving ‘straight’ to Turns Nine and 10.<\/p>\n
Verstappen immediately came on the radio to say he had “lost the rear – weird”, and before long it was apparent why.<\/p>\n
A lap later, he swore over the radio and said: “The car is loose.” And a lap after that smoke started to pour from his right rear wheel.<\/p>\n
Verstappen slowed down and as he entered the pit lane, with his brakes now on fire, a clump of material flew out of his wheel on to the grass. <\/p>\n
Underlining the strength of Red Bull in the last two years, it was his first retirement since this race two years ago.<\/p>\n
It left Sainz in control and he never showed any indication he would let the grand prix out of his grasp.<\/p>\n
Sainz was the only non-Red Bull driver to win last year, when he triumphed in Singapore in a race that ended with him holding off a train of cars featuring Norris, Lewis Hamilton and Russell.<\/p>\n
Now he has become the man to end Verstappen’s chances of equalling his own record of winning 10 races in a row – and just three races into a season he started knowing he would lose his seat at Ferrari at the end of it to Hamilton.<\/p>\n
Sainz had Leclerc’s measure from the start of qualifying and was never under threat in the race.<\/p>\n
He took advantage of Leclerc being stuck behind Norris in the first stint to build an advantage.<\/p>\n
Ferrari brought Leclerc in for a relatively early stop on lap nine to undercut him past Norris, a strategy that succeeded when the McLaren stopped five laps later and emerged behind the Ferrari.<\/p>\n
Sainz stopped on lap 16 and emerged just a second ahead of his team-mate, slowly building an advantage that extended to nearly nine seconds before Leclerc made his second stop.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n