[Auto/Moto]Red Bull’s aura of invincibility goes up in flames to ignite F1 championship race

[NERO ™]

he smouldering tyre sat stacked on top of another behind the Red Bull garage, the stench wafting up past the flutes and canapés of Albert Park’s corporate hospitality above. Its demise disappointing for fans of Max Verstappen, but a source of optimism for the rest of the Formula One field. It was on lap three of race three of the 2024 season that Red Bull’s aura of invincibility burst. Verstappen had won nine straight races and when he streaked off from pole looked likely to make it 10. That would also have been three from three in 2024. Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz wins the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne. Carlos Sainz wins Australian F1 Grand Prix in one-two finish for Ferrari Read more But within minutes he had complained on the radio he had “lost the car” as smoke billowed from his rear right. Moments later he was in the pits, a fire extinguisher dulling the flames.
On the track, his teammate Sergio Pérez was struggling against the Ferraris and McLarens. Off it, the press descended upon Verstappen in the paddock. The pit crew wheeled out his unused tyres from his garage, one stack almost toppling into a cameraman when the trolley dug into the grass. All weekend, the cloud of controversy was never far from the beleaguered team principal, Christian Horner. The signs had been ominous. “It’s such a long way to come,” Horner had said loudly to a group of hangers‑on in the paddock before the race. But it was worth the trip for the resurgent Ferrari, after Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc made it a one-two for the prancing horse, with Leclerc also recording the race’s fastest lap. The red car had looked competitive all weekend, and on Sunday comfortably held off the chasing McLarens and the Red Bull of Pérez. The race had finished under yellow following a late accident involving George Russell. That meant Mercedes finished without a point, after Lewis Hamilton was forced to retire early in the race. Hamilton had struggled all weekend and missed Q1, starting outside the top 10 in his final appearance for Mercedes in Melbourne before he leaves for Ferrari next season. He looked most comfortable on the back of a steward’s motorcycle after his DNF. In the Albert Park infield it toot‑tooted the VIPs away, before the English driver slid on to his scooter for the trip down the paddock.

On the track, his teammate Sergio Pérez was struggling against the Ferraris and McLarens. Off it, the press descended upon Verstappen in the paddock. The pit crew wheeled out his unused tyres from his garage, one stack almost toppling into a cameraman when the trolley dug into the grass. All weekend, the cloud of controversy was never far from the beleaguered team principal, Christian Horner. The signs had been ominous. “It’s such a long way to come,” Horner had said loudly to a group of hangers‑on in the paddock before the race. But it was worth the trip for the resurgent Ferrari, after Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc made it a one-two for the prancing horse, with Leclerc also recording the race’s fastest lap. The red car had looked competitive all weekend, and on Sunday comfortably held off the chasing McLarens and the Red Bull of Pérez. The race had finished under yellow following a late accident involving George Russell. That meant Mercedes finished without a point, after Lewis Hamilton was forced to retire early in the race. Hamilton had struggled all weekend and missed Q1, starting outside the top 10 in his final appearance for Mercedes in Melbourne before he leaves for Ferrari next season. He looked most comfortable on the back of a steward’s motorcycle after his DNF. In the Albert Park infield it toot‑tooted the VIPs away, before the English driver slid on to his scooter for the trip down the paddock.

Source :https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2024/mar/24/australian-formula-one-grand-prix-f1-melbourne-max-verstappen-red-bull-carlos-sainz-ferrari-aura-of-invincibility-goes-up-in-flames