Ferrari claimed a first one-two finish since 2022 as the Spaniard finished ahead of Charles Leclerc while Verstappen was forced to retire.
"Very happy, I felt really great out there. Of course it wasn't easy physically, but I was lucky I was more or less on my own out there and I could manage my pace."
The Spaniard, who had appendicitis surgery two weeks ago and missed the last race, took the chequered flag 2.3 seconds ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc, with McLaren’s Lando Norris a bold third.Disastrous day for Verstappen To add to Mercedes’ woes, teammate George Russell crashed heavily on the last lap with the car ending on its side. Russell climbed out unscathed.
But while Verstappen was favoured to win, the Ferraris had proved highly competitive in practice and qualifying on the fast and flowing Albert Park track. On a fine day, Oscar Piastri in the other McLaren was fourth ahead of Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull. Fernando Alonso was sixth ahead of Aston Martin teammate Lance Stroll.
The race took on a different characteristic with Sainz leading from Norris and Leclerc with Perez down in sixth.
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