The Ferrari driver was forced to sit out the Saudi Arabian GP, where Oliver Bearman made a superb debut in his place, but Sainz was back at his best in Melbourne and won convincingly after poleman Max Verstappen retired with brake problems.
Sainz did his job prospects for 2025, when he will be replaced at Ferrari by Lewis Hamilton, no harm at all by leading home team-mate Charles Leclerc in a 1-2 for the Scuderia as McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both headed the sole remaining Red Bull of Sergio Perez.
PLUS: Why Sainz could have won F1's Australian GP even in a Verstappen head-to-head
A race that featured only 19 starters, with Logan Sargeant benched by Williams, was missing both Mercedes at the finish as Hamilton was dramatically joined in retirement late on by George Russell. A penalty handed down to Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso for driving erratically in the lead-up to Russell's crash has bred plenty of debate.
All this and more is discussed in the latest edition of the Autosport Podcast, in which Bryn Lucas is joined by Alex Kalinauckas, Filip Cleeren and Matt Kew.
