Verstappen, Hamilton early retirements from Australian GP

MELBOURNE, Australia — Max Verstappen was an early retirement from the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, with the Red Bull driver sustaining a fiery engine failure on the fourth lap of the race, enduring his first race retirement since Albert Park in Australia in 2022.

Verstappen had won the first two F1 races of the season in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia and was on a nine-race winning streak.

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton was another early retirement with an engine failure on lap 17.

Verstappen, the three-time F1 world champion, began the race from pole, but was passed by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz on lap two at turn nine. Verstappen kept on the Spaniard’s tail, but just two laps later was spewing smoke from the back of his car, with fire following, forcing his retirement from the race.

Verstappen angrily shouted at a Red Bull crew member inside his garage after he found himself out of the race.