Charles Leclerc extends championship lead with Australian GP win

Charles Leclerc extended his championship lead on Sunday at the Australian Grand Prix as he took victory in Melbourne, with both Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz retiring.

Leclerc had his Ferrari on pole and controlled the race for the majority of the Grand Prix, with his two closest rivals losing serious ground over the course of the race.

Carlos Sainz, already on the backfoot after a P9 in qualifying, found himself in the gravel trap and retiring early on, before more technical woes for Max Verstappen.

Indeed, we’ve already seen mechanical issues for Verstappen this season with him retiring in Bahrain and, after this further issue in Melbourne, it does appear as though the Red Bull is a quick but fragile car.

Saying that, Sergio Perez at least managed to bring his RB18 home as he finished in second place behind Leclerc, though the Monegasque was in a league of his own come the end of the race, whilst George Russell was on hand in the Mercedes to pick up third.

The Silver Arrows were once again off of the pace in terms of the front two teams but reliability was key for them, with Lewis Hamilton taking fourth place to ensure they picked up more important points despite struggling.

It was, though, very much Leclerc’s day in Melbourne and his championship lead is commanding already at 34 points.