Leclerc must be regretting his mistake in qualifying on Saturday, as he was expected to be the only contender for Max Verstappen’s pole position. Although Sainz couldn’t surpass the Dutchman, he managed to secure a place on the front row with his Ferrari. When the brakes of the Red Bull RB20 caught fire, Sainz was there to seize the opportunity.
Leclerc tried to show his sportsmanship after the race, but his body language on the podium revealed his disappointment. He congratulated his team and his teammate, stating in the parc fermé: «I’m genuinely happy for him [Sainz] and for the team. They are valuable points. We came into the weekend with the goal of maximizing our points, and we couldn’t have done better.»
In Ferrari’s post-race press release, Leclerc further commented: «It was an excellent weekend for the team. We maximized our points and left nothing behind, achieving a one-two finish and the fastest lap. Carlos did well today.» He continued: «On my side, I had a strong first stint and managed to overtake Lando (Norris) during the pit stop. I struggled a bit with tire wear on my first set of Hards, but had better pace in the final stint with the second set of Hards, maintaining the gap to Lando.»
«We started the season with three weekends where we fully utilized our potential, which is fantastic and is a testament to the hard work our team has put in over the past few months,» Leclerc concluded.
The winner of five Formula 1 races attributed his poor result in qualifying to the balance of his SF-24. However, Sainz was exceptional in Australia, determined to prove that his team was wrong to replace him with Lewis Hamilton in 2025.
El jefe del equipo Ferrari, Frederic Vasseur, reflexionó sobre la carrera de Leclerc, afirmando: «Charles tuvo un rendimiento sólido. A pesar de una clasificación menos que perfecta, manejó bien los neumáticos y se recuperó con el rendimiento del coche. Se desempeñó excepcionalmente bien en las primeras y últimas etapas, y su vuelta más rápida al final muestra el progreso que hemos hecho en términos de gestión de neumáticos.»
«Fuimos rápidos durante todo el fin de semana, comenzando desde la primera sesión de entrenamientos. En comparación con donde estábamos hace un año, cuando salimos de Melbourne sin sumar puntos, hemos hecho mejoras significativas», agregó Vasseur. «Aunque estamos contentos con nuestros resultados en Bahrein y Arabia Saudita, no nos dejamos llevar por este doblete. Necesitamos mantener esta aproximación en las próximas carreras para lograr los resultados deseados.»
La Ferrari ahora está solo cuatro puntos detrás de Red Bull, asegurando la segunda posición en el Campeonato de Constructores de Fórmula 1 de 2024.
