2024 Australian Grand Prix
Updated: Wikipedia source
The 2024 Australian Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix 2024) was a Formula One motor race held on 24 March 2024 at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, Victoria. It was the third round of the 2024 Formula One World Championship. After qualifying second, Ferrari's Carlos Sainz Jr. won the race, two weeks after undergoing an appendectomy that caused him to miss the preceding Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Pole-sitter Max Verstappen retired on lap four, breaking his streak of nine consecutive wins. Sainz's teammate, Charles Leclerc, followed in second for Ferrari's first 1–2 finish since the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix. Lando Norris finished third, surpassing Nick Heidfeld's record for the most podiums without a win in Formula One at fourteen; Norris would hold this record until he won his first race three Grands Prix later, at the Miami Grand Prix, thereby handing the record back to Heidfeld. The event sold out for the first time in its history and set a new attendance record at the circuit for the weekend. The result enabled both Leclerc and Ferrari to reduce the points deficit in both World Championships to four points to Verstappen and Red Bull, respectively. It also meant that Pérez was demoted to third in the Drivers' Standings with 46 points after being overtaken by Leclerc by one point. His race victory elevated Sainz to fourth in the championship, only eleven points behind Verstappen, while Oscar Piastri remained fifth with 28 points.