It was the perfect result for Scuderia Ferrari’s drivers, the Spanish Carlos Sainz and Monaco’s own Charles Leclerc, who soared to a one-two victory at the Australian Grand Prix over the weekend and picked up the maximum 44 points, edging the team closer to rivals Red Bull.
Sainz, who returned to the grid at the Australian Grand Prix mere weeks after his emergency appendicitis surgery, started on the front row in P2, but was able to get ahead by passing Red Bull’s Max Verstappen on Lap 2. Verstappen would soon be forced to retire early from the race due to a mechanical problem.
29-year-old Sainz was understandably grinning from ear to ear as he fielded questions from reporters in the aftermath of his win.
“Life sometimes is crazy, what happened at the beginning of year, then the podium in Bahrain, then the appendix, the comeback, the win… It’s a rollercoaster, but I loved it and I’m extremely happy,” he said. “The team deserves this one-two, we did a fantastic job all weekend, from FP1 to the last lap. We executed a perfect race, nailed the strategy and the mechanics were incredible, delivering precise and quick pitstops every single time. Congratulations to everyone! Let’s carry this momentum to Japan! Vamos!”
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His fellow Ferrari driver, the Monaco-born Leclerc, started in P4 instead of his original P5 because of the three-place grid penalty levied on Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez, and the 26-year-old gradually worked his way up thanks to well-timed pitstops.
By Lap 48, with 10 more to go, the final order was set: Sainz and Leclerc followed by McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
“It was a really good weekend for the team,” said Leclerc post-race. “We maximised our points and left nothing on the table… We’ve started out the season with three weekends in which we have made the most of our potential, which feels really good and is a testimony to all the hard work that our team has put in over the past months.”
Solid results
Sainz was chosen as Driver of the Day by F1’s international community of fans while Leclerc added a bonus point to his 18 for second place by getting the fastest lap on the Albert Park Circuit.
The results put Leclerc within four points of Verstappen, the frontrunner, in the Driver Standings. He holds second place with 47 points. Sainz is now in fourth with a respectable 40 points, behind Pérez.
The Ferrari team has also greatly benefited from the race on 24th March and has advanced in the Constructor Standings, with 93 points to Red Bull’s 97.
Next stop is…
There is less than a fortnight to go until the Japan Grand Prix on 7th April and Sainz will no doubt spend the time further recuperating from his appendicitis surgery, which put him out of the race in Saudi Arabia earlier in March. Leclerc, meanwhile, shared a photo on his social media accounts marked, “Next stop, Bali!”.
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Photo credit: Scuderia Ferrari Media Centre