Leclerc must be regretting his mistake in qualifying on Saturday, as he was expected to be the only competitor to Max Verstappen for 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 parc fermé: « I’m genuinely happy for him [Sainz] and for the team. These 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 a better pace in the last 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 qualifying result 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.
Le chef de l’équipe Ferrari, Frederic Vasseur, a réfléchi sur la course de Leclerc, affirmant: « Charles a eu une performance solide. Malgré une qualification moins que parfaite, il a bien géré les pneus et s’est bien repris avec les performances de la voiture. Il s’est particulièrement bien débrouillé lors des premiers et derniers relais, et son tour le plus rapide à la fin montre les progrès que nous avons réalisés en termes de gestion des pneus. »
« Nous avons été rapides tout au long du week-end, en commençant dès la première séance d’essais. Comparé à il y a un an, lorsque nous avons quitté Melbourne sans marquer de points, nous avons réalisé des améliorations significatives », a ajouté Vasseur. « Bien que nous soyons satisfaits de nos résultats à Bahreïn et en Arabie Saoudite, nous ne nous laissons pas emporter par ce doublé. Nous devons maintenir cette approche lors des prochaines courses pour atteindre les résultats souhaités. »
La Ferrari est maintenant à seulement quatre points derrière Red Bull, assurant la deuxième place au Championnat des Constructeurs de Formule 1 de 2024.
