Instead, Sainz was forced to pick between Alpine, Sauber and Williams, all of whom started the 2024 campaign in difficult veins of form. He opted for the latter, joining James Vowles’ project alongside Alex Albon, who has been with the Grove-based squad since returning to F1 in 2022.

Lewis Hamilton 's father, Anthony Hamilton, made a touching gesture to a distraught Formula 1 star after their Australian Grand Prix crash. The first race of the season in Melbourne saw three drivers crash before the opening lap was completed, with Carlos Sainz and rookies Isack Hadjar and Jack Doohan making vital mistakes in the wet conditions.

Lewis Hamilton’s relationship with his new Ferrari team was pressure tested in Australia, where he finished a disappointing 10th on debut, and was frustrated by a bad strategy that cost him a potential victory,

Having dominated Formula One's headlines in the build-up to the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton was far from the spotlight at Albert Park on Sunday with a 10th-place finish on his Ferrari debut.