Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc reflects on the outcome of the 2019 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne:
“I got off to a great start and found myself in a good shape to fight. I tried to overtake Max on the outside but Seb was blocked by the two Mercedes. I also went outside Sebastian, and I don’t know if he saw me, but I had to go on the grass because I didn’t have any space left and I lost a position to Max.” – Charles explained at the end of the race.
Charles Leclerc, in his first race for the Maranello team, caught his teammate Sebastian Vettel in the final laps. Seb’s tyres were older than Charles and he was lapping slower than his team mate. However when Leclerc got within striking distance of his team mate he asked the Ferrari pit wall whether he should hold his position. “Yes,” he was told. “Back off to have some margin”:
“In general the car was quite difficult to drive. However the second stint was more positive. I had the pace to get past Seb, but the team decided to freeze the positions via team radio. In the end there was nothing to win. I understand. It wasn’t a fantastic race, but on the other hand we know that the Melbourne track is atypical. That’s why we don’t have to panic. We know that the Mercedes is very strong, but we are much closer to them than we have seen today.” – Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc concluded at the end of the 2019 Australian Grand Prix.
