Scuderia Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur has commended Carlos Sainz for his indomitable spirit following his remarkable victory in the third round of the 2024 Formula 1 championship, the Australian Grand Prix, which was held at the 5.278-kilometre Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne on Sunday.
Carlos Sainz’s third Formula 1 triumph is secured just two weeks after undergoing an emergency appendectomy during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend. This unexpected setback led to his absence from qualifying and the race at the Jeddah circuit, creating an opportunity for the impressive debut of 18-year-old Ferrari Driver Academy member Oliver Bearman, who ended in seventh place.
As the weekend at Melbourne’s Albert Park Circuit approached, there were lingering concerns about Carlos Sainz’s fitness to compete. Even the 29-year-old driver himself had doubts about his ability to participate ahead of the first free practice session at the Albert Park circuit.
However, the Spanish driver, who is without a contract at the end of the 2024 Formula 1 championship, impressed everyone by securing the race win in a splendid one-two finish for the Maranello team, its first in the last two years, with the Spaniard ahead of his Monegasque teammate.
“I was not expecting any less than you [the media], but overall this winter we agreed together to push until the last lap of the season,” said Frederic Vasseur at the end of the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday – “He did a fantastic job in Bahrain pushing the team, for sure, Jeddah was a tough weekend – a tough weekend for Carlos, tough weekend for the team. The recovery is mega, you have to keep in mind that two weeks ago he was in the hospital.” – the French manager added.
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“I think even Friday he was not 100 percent sure he’d be able to drive. After a couple of laps, he was on the pace, this was part of the success too. You can’t give up one lap into free practice if you want to perform. For sure, it’s amazing, and looking where he’s coming from nobody expected a result like this.” – the Ferrari boss continued.
Carlos Sainz surged into the lead on lap two, surpassing Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who just a few moments later had to retire his RB20 single-seater due to a right-rear brake problem that occurred as he entered his pit box, making it clear the Dutchman would not be able to continue the Australian Grand Prix. Throughout the Australian Grand Prix, the Spaniard demonstrated remarkable control with his SF-24 car, showing notable improvement in tire management, an area that posed challenges for Ferrari in the previous championship.
While Ferrari has now closed the gap to Red Bull to just four points in the constructors’ championship ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka circuit, Fred Vasseur emphasizes that he doesn’t prioritize analyzing the performance of their main Formula 1 opponents: “I’m focused on the performance of our car. We made a huge step forward. Perhaps on the pace of one lap, we were nowhere last year. Where we made a huge step is more the consistency between the two compounds, or between the one stint and the other one. The car is much easier to drive, much, much easier to read also for the drivers, and much easier to develop.” – Scuderia Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur concluded.
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