Verstappen failure causes unexpected win in 'F1 tweet of the year'

Carlos Sainz may have stood atop the podium at the 2024 Australian Grand Prix, but F1 fans on social media crowned an even bigger winner in Melbourne.

The Ferrari driver had already overtaken Max Verstappen before the Dutchman was forced to retire after just four laps.

READ MORE: F1 Results Today: Australian Grand Prix times – Ferrari DOMINATE amid Verstappen and Hamilton drama

Verstappen had finished every race since the 2022 Australian GP, but was forced to retire after flames came out of his car after just four laps.

The back-to-back-to-back world champion called the DNF 'weird' after the race, with the incident ending up with a smoky Red Bull parked in the pit lane.

READ MORE: 'Second-best F1 driver in the world doesn’t have 2025 seat' - GPFans Australian GP Hot Takes

Alpine's hilarious reaction

Ferrari delighted its fans with a one-two finish in Melbourne, with Sainz finishing two seconds ahead of team-mate Charles Leclerc, while Lando Norris completed a rare top-three without a Red Bull driver.

Ferrari fans were delighted with the performance, but it was Alpine who unexpectedly won the day - at least on social media - as their official account posted on X, formerly Twitter, celebrating an iconic double-overtake for their team.

With Verstappen forced to end his race early, both Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon were able to move up the rankings as the Alpine social media administrator tweeted 'DOUBLE OVERTAKE ON VERSTAPPEN'.

DOUBLE OVERTAKE ON VERSTAPPEN

— BWT Alpine F1 Team (@AlpineF1Team) March 24, 2024

Followers found the update hilarious, calling it the 'tweet of the year' and the 'highlight of the season' as Alpine ended the day with their drivers in P13 and P16 thanks to further retirements from Mercedes duo Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, as well as Logan Sargeant's absence due to the lack of a car.

There was further good news for Alpine as Pierre Gasly's 13th-place finish meant that he moved up from the bottom of the overall rankings after three races, having previously been 21st out of 21 drivers this season.

READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: Newey 'one hour' from forming all-champion F1 line up

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