Promising debut for Sainz Jr and Verstappen in Melbourne

The pilots Toro Rosso were expected in Melbourne since Carlos Sainz Jr and Max Verstappen competed in their first Grand Prix this weekend in Australia. Both rookies showed promising performances, even if the reigning Formula champion Renault 3.5 Series was faster

Carlos Sainz Jr took the points for ninth place for his first race, even if the Spaniard took advantage of the weakness of the peloton with only 11 cars at the finish. The Hispanic driver was hot from the start when he hit the Ferrari SF15-T of Kimi Räikkönen, before losing time in the pits. “We knew we could do better than P9, but we can stay positive after everything that happened... I liked the fights in turn 1 even if I was a little too optimistic. But I learned my lesson. »

His teammate Max Verstappen was less fortunate as he had to retire with a mechanical problem. “We have to focus on the positives and be ready for the next race in Malaysia (March 29 at Sepang) where I will use everything I have learned to aim for a much better result. » The Dutchman has time to succeed as he became the youngest driver in the history of the F1 at the age of 17 years.

Discover the analysis of the Australian Grand Prix carried out by our special correspondents in issue 2003 of AUTOhebdo, available from tomorrow evening in digital version on all platforms, and from Wednesday on newsstands.