Credits: IMAGO PanoramiC

Lewis Hamilton has made a name for himself being statistically the most successful F1 driver in the history of the sport. The seven-time world champion drives one of the fastest categories of cars on some of the most challenging and dangerous circuits in the world. As a result, most would expect him to be fearless. But by his own admission, when it comes to the wildlife of Australia, the Briton does tend to second guess his courage.

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Speaking to the fans at the Australian GP, Hamilton revealed (as quoted on Australian GP’s official YouTube channel), “Australia, man, it’s crazy out here! You’ve got all the world’s dangerous animals. Every time I get here I check under my toilet seats. I check in my shoes. Even when I was putting my helmet on yesterday, I was looking inside!”

Hamilton‘s observations about Australia are mostly accurate. The country does indeed boast one of the most diverse groups of animals, insects, and reptiles. Whilst discussing his phobias when he visits Australia, Hamilton also revealed that during a recent surfing trip, one of his friends had a close encounter with a shark.

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However, if the scares are kept aside, Australia’s Albert Park street circuit is one of the best venues for F1 fans to experience a Grand Prix. The 2024 Australian GP did not disappoint either as it featured one of the most interesting races in the recent past.

Ferrari emerged as biggest gainers after the 2024 Australian GP

The race weekend itself started on a promising note for the fans as Red Bull did not appear to be their dominant selves like in the past. Although Max Verstappen still clinched pole away from the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz, the race produced a surprising twist.

After Verstappen was forced to retire on lap 3 of the race due to a brake system malfunction, Sainz received the impetus and went on to clinch a sensational victory. Moreover, with Charles Leclerc finishing second, Ferrari clinched an outstanding 1-2.

Similarly to Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton also had a race to forget. Due to a power unit failure, the Briton ended up retiring from the race.

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However, Mercedes’ troubles just did not end there as George Russell ended up crashing on the last lap of the Grand Prix while chasing Fernando Alonso for P6. Since both Hamilton and Russell registered a DNF, Mercedes failed to score any points.