Ferrari "will be in the mix", despite "track characteristics not fitting very well for us"

Just one day until the drivers hit the track for the third round of the Formula 1 World Championship, the Australian Grand Prix, which is back on the calendar for the first time since its cancellation in 2020. It was two years ago, with everyone already on site in Melbourne, that the event had to be cancelled due to the first wave of Covid 19, with one McLaren member testing positive on Friday. This year, Scuderia Ferrari comes to Australia leading the Constructors’ classification, having scored 78 out of a possible 88 points in the first two races of the 2022 championship, in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, while Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are currently first and second respectively in the Drivers’ standings ahead of the Australian Grand Prix.

When asked about the Maranello team’s prospects in Melbourne given the new layout of Albert Park circuit, Charles Leclerc admitted that the track changes may not be favourable for Ferrari: “I think the old track layout would have suited us better. But it is the way it is now, we will try to maximise everything this weekend as always. Hopefully Imola will suit us a bit better. Overall I think the track characteristics are not fitting very well for us. But everything is to play for. I still think we will be in the mix. It will still be very close, it’s not like it’s going to be a big gap. If we do the perfect weekend, anything is possible.” – the Monegasque driver explained on Thursday.

“I am pushing at the maximum with everything I can. Again it is a long season, a tiring season, and I need to be at my 100% from the start to the end, and I am aware of this, so I am giving it all. It is always quite tricky but I always try to do the best job possible and obviously with the weakness we have with the straightline speed against Red Bull, we need to try and play smart! We have seen in the past two races the strategy with the DRS, and I am pretty sure we will see it even more here. Basically all straights have a DRS zone, so overtaking will be a thing, and clever racing will make a big difference here!” – Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc concluded, ahead of Friday practice for the 2022 Australian Grand Prix.