Charles Leclerc pinpoints reasons behind 'clear' end to Melbourne GP victory charge

Joy for Scuderia Ferrari’s one-two finish at the Albert Park circuit, regret for a missed opportunity to secure the race win: from graining to the battle with Red Bull, here is Charles Leclerc’s analysis of the Australian Grand Prix.

Ferrari delivers a very sweet Sunday to its fans. The one-two finish in Australia makes Charles Leclerc happy, but he still has some regrets about a lost chance due to graining.

A Ferrari one-two: Melbourne turns red and thrills the still sleepy European fans. With the cat away, the mice can play. Max Verstappen is out in the very early stages of the race, and the Prancing Horse sees a less complicated triumph opportunity wide open. With the Dutchman out and a less than impactful Sergio Perez, the Scuderia can dream but must keep the eager at bay the two McLarens cars, which never really posed a threat.

“I wasn’t in form this weekend. But if I were offered P2 with the fastest lap on an off weekend, I’d take it,” Charles Leclerc admits at the end of the race. The Monegasque from the Prancing Horse is happy for Ferrari: “It was the best we could ask for as a team. Carlos was always ready, all weekend. He deserves it.” – he pointed out at the end of the Melbourne race.

After celebrating the impressive Australian result, Charles Leclerc looks back with some disappointment at certain phases of his own race. “I’m not too happy with my performance.” Among Charles’ biggest regrets is “the qualifying”, which made him “start far from where I would have wanted to be.”

The race situation brings contrasting feelings for the Monegasque driver. Ferrari’s #16 did not show his best performance, but he might have had a card to play for the victory. He was betrayed by heavy graining after the first pit-stop. “My second stint wasn’t great,” admits the Ferrari driver. “I had a lot of graining on the front.”

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On the other hand, Charles Leclerc’s last stint was “really good”. “But it was too late to do anything…”, Charles notes with some regret.

After the performance seen today in the Australian Grand Prix, is fighting with Red Bull possible? Charles Leclerc remains cautious: “We will have weekends where we’ll put pressure on them.” The class of ’97 is convinced of this but remains grounded: “Today, however, Max wasn’t there, and we don’t know how fast he was in race pace. But if we continue on this path, we will have weekends under pressure.” – the Monegasque driver concluded.