Carlos Sainz has admitted it's a 'pity' Max Verstappen wasn't able to finish the Australian Grand Prix.
But the Spaniard also revealed he was delighted after winning the third race of the F1 season.
Verstappen was forced out of the action within just three laps after a brake fire, with the 26-year-old suffering a first DNF since competing in the same race two years ago.
The Red Bull driver was visibly annoyed by his failure to complete the event as his hopes of winning a fourth F1 title in a row were dealt a huge blow.
Carlos Sainz has opened up after winning the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday morning
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And Sainz has admitted it's a 'pity' Verstappen wasn't able to finish the race, though did admit his rival has won 'plenty' of them.
“I felt like I could keep up with him on the first lap and try and take DRS,” he said, per Formula1.com.
"Then he lost car into Turn 3 and there was my chance to get close and attempt an overtake, and as soon as he was behind he started struggling with the brakes and that was it for him.
“It’s a pity because I think we would have had a very good fight for P1 today, but I’m happy to take the win – he’s had plenty of them!
"I’m happy to be back here.”
When asked when he became confident of victory, Sainz added: “I think from Lap 2 when I was leading.
"I said with the pace I had yesterday I knew I could get it done. Especially in clean air, managing the tyres, I could get it done.
“Obviously the risk of a Safety Car and red flag here was always in the back of my mind, but luckily it was a clean race, and not too much happened.
"Sorry for George [Russell with his crash] there at the end, it looked like a big one, I hope he’s okay, [but] I could finish the race, win it, bring it home, [so it’s] a great feeling.”
Sainz was a doubt for the race in Australia.
The Spaniard recently had surgery on his appendix, with the 29-year-old admitting he was still feeling 'still' as he reigned supreme.
“It was a really good race; I felt really good out there," he said.
“Of course, [I’m] a bit stiff, especially physically, it wasn’t the easiest, but I was lucky that I was more or less on my own.
“I could manage my pace, manage the tyres, manage everything.
"It wasn’t the toughest race of all, but yeah, very happy, very proud of the team.
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Max Verstappen was unable to finish the Australian Grand Prix
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"I’m happy to be in a one-two with Charles [Leclerc] here. It shows that hard work pays off.
“Life sometimes is crazy, what happened at the beginning of year, then the podium in Bahrain, then the appendix, the comeback, the win... it’s a rollercoaster but I loved it and I’m extremely happy.”
Verstappen was involved in a row with a Red Bull mechanic after he was unable to complete the race.
But Christian Horner has downplayed the incident and insists the 26-year-old is 'gracious' with the team.
"Obviously, a driver is going to be frustrated when he gets out of a car from a retirement," he explained.
Carlos Sainz has admitted it's a 'pity' that Max Verstappen wasn't able to finish the Australian Grand Prix
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"I think he's been very gracious with the team and all of the mechanics.
"It hurts everybody in the same way. It's a matter of learning from it.
"We've had two years with no mechanical DNFs which has been remarkable.
"It's a matter of understanding what caused it and learning from it and moving on.
"It's remarkable after three races that he's still leading the championship even with that DNF but, as I say, a lot of lessons to take from today."
