Sparkling Sainz, transparent Ricciardo: notes from Melbourne

Carlos Sainz - 10 / 10

Two weeks after missing the Saudi Arabian GP due to appendicitis, the Spaniard made a thunderous return to Melbourne. Right away in the rhythm, he will have been the pilot Ferrari fastest throughout the Australian weekend. If his task was made easier by the premature abandonment of Max Verstappen, Sainz would undoubtedly have had his say in winning until the end. His rating is higher than ever as he seeks a 2025 driver.

Yuki tsunoda - 8 / 10

The Japanese continues to methodically extinguish his popular teammate Daniel Ricciardo. Brilliantly qualified in Q3, Tsunoda progressed in the points throughout the race and took advantage of Russell's retirement to double his tally. RB can thank him!

Lando Norris - 8 / 10

Pushed to his limits by his neighbor in the garage Oscar piastri, Norris responds at the right time, namely in Q3. Qualified 4th, he was promoted to 3rd on the grid after Sergio Pérez's penalty. The Briton will finish in the same position in the race where he is subject to the law of Charles Leclerc and his Ferrari. By signing his 14th career podium, Lando is now the driver with the most Top 3 finishes without a victory…

Nico Hulkenberg - 8 / 10

Embarrassed by Pérez in qualifying, the German veteran recovered superbly in the race where he entered the points for the second time in a row. Strong.

Max Verstappen – 8/10

Impossible to judge Max Verstappen's race, forced to give up after three laps with the left rear brake ducts on fire. His excellent pole position, however, suggests that he would have been a candidate for victory once again. Without him, Red Bull is also lost…

Charles Leclerc – 7/10

New podium for the Monegasque but this one has a bitter taste because he is landed in the shadow of a Carlos Sainz at the zenith. Never comfortable at the wheel of his SF-24 “Down Under”, Leclerc undoubtedly did too much in qualifying, before losing to his teammate in the race. At least he ensures a popular Ferrari double and big championship points.

Oscar Piastri – 7/10

New darling of Australian fans, the pilot McLaren justifies its status with another excellent weekend. Close to his teammate in qualifying, he also followed him closely in the race before a second, somewhat prolonged pit stop kept him from the podium. Piastri will therefore not have succeeded in putting an end to this incredible curse of Australian drivers at home (no podium since 1985).

Fernando Alonso - 7 / 10

The stainless Alonso continues to resist despite more limited equipment than last year. Only 10th in Q3, he took advantage of the timing of a Virtual Safety Car to make his first pit stop and move up to fifth position. He can do nothing against Sergio Pérez but admirably repels George Russell, indirectly leading to the driver's fault Mercedes at the very end of the race.

Kevin Magnussen - 7 / 10

Qualified in Q2, the Dane battled in the soft underbelly of the peloton all afternoon and was rewarded with a point when the retirement of George Russell promoted him to 10th position. Deserved given his pugnacious start to the season.

Lance stroll - 6 / 10

The Canadian doesn't make too much noise but it's better than ending up in the wall like in Jeddah. He was once again subjected to the rule of Fernando Alonso in the race but snatched some good points.

Esteban Ocon - 6 / 10

Hoisting the reluctant A524 into Q2 looked like a victory for the Ébroïcien on Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately, his race was compromised when he had to make a second unscheduled stop due to a helmet visor protection stuck in his brake ducts. Alpine did not have the means to earn points on a regular basis anyway.

Pierre Gasly - 6 / 10

Disappointing in qualifying, the Rouennais made up for it in the race where he got off to a start as satisfactory as theAlpine remains incomplete. Penalized by 5 seconds for having bitten the white line when leaving the pits (an avoidable error), he did not suffer the consequences in the final classification.

Sergio Pérez – 5/10

Penalized by three places on the grid for having hindered Nico Hülkenberg in Q1, the Mexican crossed the GP in relative anonymity and proved once again that Red Bull can only count on one driver...

Valtteri Bottas - 5 / 10

Qualified in an honest 13th place, the adopted Australian struggled as best he could with the poor equipment at his disposal. Not to mention some missed pit stops at Sauber.

Alexander albon - 5 / 10

Guilty of a mistake with unfortunate consequences in Free Practice 1, he recovers his teammate's chassis Logan sargeant by team decision. Volunteer, the Thai does not come close to rewarding the team with points but he has to be content with a place outside the Top 10.

Lewis Hamilton - 4 / 10

Eliminated in Q2 and dominated by his teammate, Sir Lewis was betrayed by his engine early in the race. The only reason for consolation: his future team is much more competitive than the one he is about to leave.

George Russell – 4/10

The Briton had once again gained the upper hand over Lewis Hamilton and was heading towards an honest result when he lost everything by violently hitting the wall on the penultimate lap while chasing Fernando Alonso. An episode reminiscent of that in Singapore last year, again at the very end of the race...

Zhou Guangyu - 4 / 10

Last in qualifying due to car damaged, the Chinese sailed through the depths of the standings all Sunday and lost colossal time in the pits during another failed stop at Sauber.

Daniel Ricciardo – 3/10

Dominated by his teammate Yuki Tsunoda in qualifying and in the race, the Australian takes his spleen into rearguard battles of which he is now one of the faithful. Sad.