Leclerc's Mixed Emotions as Sainz Wins in Melbourne

Leclerc’s Mixed Emotions as Sainz Wins in Melbourne

24/03/2024

Charles Leclerc experienced frustration and pride as teammate Carlos Sainz clinched victory in Melbourne, marking a significant one-two finish for Ferrari.

Charles Leclerc certainly felt a bit of frustration watching his teammate Carlos Sainz take victory in Melbourne, especially with Max Verstappen retiring for the first time in two years. Similar to Singapore in 2023, it’s the Spaniard who capitalizes, yet his teammate is gracious, congratulating Ferrari on the one-two finish.

“It feels great for the team; this is our first one-two since Bahrain 2022, which is a fond memory, and it’s incredible that we can achieve this,” Leclerc stated, finishing second. “Carlos had an incredible weekend coming back from surgery. He drove an amazing race. For my part, I struggled in the first stint on the hard tires, and the last stint was positive, but that was the maximum we could do.”

Leclerc describes his race as complicated by a very difficult second stint and having to pit early after his first stint. However, he doesn’t believe he could have beaten Sainz: “Not really, in the first stint we had to protect from what was behind, and I stopped a bit earlier.”

“And in the second stint, I was struggling, and Carlos was very fast. As soon as we made the first stop, it was clear, but Carlos did a better job in qualifying and in the race, he did a better job throughout the weekend, and he deserves the win.”

“I’m very happy for him, I’m very happy for the team, these are very good points. We said before the weekend that we wanted to maximize the number of points, and I think that’s what we did.”

Leclerc’s Mixed Emotions as Sainz Wins in Melbourne. Leclerc’s Mixed Emotions as Sainz Wins in Melbourne

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