Evelyn CamdenAmidst a one-two finish for Ferrari in Melbourne, Charles Leclerc grapples with mixed feelings after being outshone by Carlos Sainz. The team’s performance sparks both hope and introspection.
A sense of frustration looms… Charles Leclerc secured a one-two finish for Ferrari in Melbourne, yet found himself outperformed by his teammate Carlos Sainz, unmistakably so.
What then prevails for Charles Leclerc after the Australian Grand Prix? Is it the satisfaction of the one-two finish, or concerns about his status as Ferrari’s number one?
The Monegasque, of course, chooses to highlight the one-two finish to the media, a glimmer of hope and a morale booster for the Scuderia.
“Oh, it’s extremely important, because it has been a while since we’ve had the pace of Red Bull genuinely under control… I wouldn’t say under control, as we don’t know Max’s true pace, but since FP1, we knew that pole position and a race win were within reach. Because we had very good tyre degradation, a very good pace, and that’s a very encouraging sign.”
“However, if you look at the first three races, two of them were won by Red Bull drivers. So, we still have a lot of work to do. But this is exactly what we need to do as a team. Whenever we have the opportunity to win a race, we need to grab it, and this weekend, we did, Carlos did.”
“From my side, I’m second with the fastest lap, so we’ve taken the maximum points with the team. And if you look at the first three races, there isn’t one where we haven’t maximized the result. So we must continue until we get a car that is consistently better than the Red Bull, especially in the race.”
Was Carlos Sainz untouchable for Charles Leclerc? How could the Monegasque have sought to challenge his teammate?
“I needed to be better, just better. In qualifying, I wasn’t good enough. The last stint was really good, but it wasn’t enough. So Carlos was better this weekend.”
“But this has been the case for the past three years: we come to a race, and Carlos is better, then I push and am better at the next race, and so we improve. It’s very exciting for a driver to have such a fast teammate. He was there from the start of the weekend. Congratulations to Carlos.”
To top off the celebration, the Ferrari one-two was clinched in front of a sea of tifosi in Melbourne… it felt like Monza in places!
“It was crazy all weekend. The fan zone was probably one of the loudest we’ve ever had. And we can really feel a very special support here in Melbourne. There are a lot of Italians, as you said, and we feel that special support. So, it’s a good thing to achieve such a result on such a circuit and with such support around the track.”
Leclerc: “Carlos Was Better This Weekend”. Leclerc: “Carlos Was Better This Weekend”
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