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 outdo 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. Those 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 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 his team wrong for replacing him with Lewis Hamilton in 2025.
The team principal of Ferrari, Frederic Vasseur, reflected on Leclerc’s race, stating: “Charles had a solid performance. Despite a less than perfect qualifying, he managed the tires well and recovered with the car’s performance. He did exceptionally well in the first and last stints, and his fastest lap at the end shows the progress we have made in terms of tire management.”
“We were fast throughout the weekend, starting from the first practice session. Compared to where we were a year ago, when we left Melbourne without scoring any points, we have made significant improvements,” Vasseur added. “Although we are pleased with our results in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, we are not getting carried away by this one-two finish. We need to maintain this approach in the upcoming races to achieve the desired results.”
Ferrari is now just four points behind Red Bull, securing the second position in the 2024 Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship.
