Hamilton's troubles suggest Ferrari move could pay off

If Toto Wolff thought Saturday in Australia was below par - with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton languishing seventh and 11th on the grid respectively after qualifying - wait until you hear the Mercedes boss's verdict yesterday.

- KIERAN JACKSON

A first double retirement in five years made Wolff want to "punch himself on the nose”. The outlook at Mercedes, the former titan of Formula One, is decidedly gloomy down under.

But to the front for the time being. Carlos Sainz’s victory at the Australian Grand Prix was down to two factors: first, Max Verstappen’s surprise mechanical fault, on a weekend when Red Bull design guru Adrian Newey was not on-site at Albert Park. A right rear brake fault resulted in the three-time world champion’s dramatic departure from proceedings four laps into the 58-lap race. Out of nowhere, we all had a grand prix on our hands.

Factor number two: Ferrari. Fred Vasseur and his team of engineers have unlocked something different this year. A car with potential, definitely capable of competing with Red Bull over one lap, if not quite yet over a full race distance. With Sainz leading home a one-two finish – the Scuderia’s first since Bahrain in 2022 at the start of the current set of regulations – Ferrari are now just four points off Red Bull in the constructors’ standings. Leclerc trails Verstappen by the same margin.