Nico Hulkenberg sends message to Carlos Sainz after winning the Australian Grand Prix

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The Australian Grand Prix turned out to be the perfect return to action for Ferrari star Carlos Sainz and Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg had a special message for the 29-year-old.

After having surgery just two weeks before the race, Carlos Sainz was the standout driver in Melbourne as he took the fight to Max Verstappen and capitalised on a rare example of Red Bull’s unreliability.

The Spaniard posted on Instagram after the race to celebrate his third F1 victory and Nico Hulkenberg and Real Madrid star Luka Modric were among those who congratulated him on his fantastic win.

Nico Hulkenberg sends Carlos Sainz message after Australian Grand Prix win

Very few people would have predicted Carlos Sainz to be the lead Ferrari heading to Melbourne given the short turnaround time between his appendix surgery in Saudi Arabia and arriving Down Under.

There were still suggestions that Oliver Bearman could drive again for Ferrari in the days leading up to the race given he was going to be in Melbourne driving in Formula 2.

However, Sainz prioritised his recovery and admitted that although he wasn’t at 100% going into the weekend, he was capable of driving the car.

Adjustments were made – such as adapting his seatbelt – and he said after the race that he spent more time in bed in preparation for the event than he normally would.

He was brilliant throughout qualifying and it was only a typically mega lap from Max Verstappen that denied him pole position – as well as a small mistake in Q3.

Sainz still managed to beat his teammate who is known for his performances on a Saturday.

Five laps into the race Sainz was in the lead and his closest rival had retired when his right rear brake exploded as he entered the pit lane and handed the 29-year-old the victory.

Nico Hulkenberg – who added more points to his tally as well – has sent Sainz a message following his Australian Grand Prix win.

Haas are benefitting from a new direction under Ayao Komatsu and as a de-facto part of the Ferrari family, they’ll be delighted that they appear to be close to matching Red Bull’s pace.

Sainz going from strength to strength with 2025 decision looming

Posting a picture of himself celebrating on the podium on social media, Sainz said: “P1!! What a rollercoaster!! Let’s keep it up in Japan!”

Luka Modric called him “Amazing”, while Nico Hulkenberg replied and said: “Vamooooos Cabron [dude]!!!”

Hulkenberg and Sainz have driven against each other for a long time and that mutual respect is clear to see, with both drivers coming away from the Australian Grand Prix happy.

It’s unlikely that Ferrari will be questioning their decision to replace Sainz with Lewis Hamilton just yet, but this result does slightly increase the pressure on his teammate Charles Leclerc.

He’s not officially Frederic Vasseur’s number-one driver, but eventually, the team will have to start prioritising the driver who will still be in Ferrari red in 2025.

That could prove difficult if Sainz continues to outpace the Monegasque driver.

Plenty of options on the table for Carlos Sainz

There are three teams that Carlos Sainz appears most likely to join when his contract expires at the end of the year.

The first and probably least enticing right now is Sauber – with Audi keen on the Spaniard before they enter the sport in 2026.

However, they’re one of the slowest cars on the grid right now and continue to have fundamental issues with their pit stops.

Mercedes will also be on Sainz’s radar and it’s been said before that he’s ‘gunning’ for Lewis Hamilton’s seat.

Finally, a return to the Red Bull group can’t be discounted and a reunion with Max Verstappen as a teammate.

Sainz was praised by Christian Horner at the end of the Australian Grand Prix – which may mean more to him than Hulkenberg’s two-word message on social media.

With doubts being cast over the futures of Verstappen and Sergio Perez, Sainz becomes an even more attractive option if they have two seats to fill.