Charles Leclerc of Monaco, driving for Ferrari, expressed his disappointment in his performance at the Australian Grand Prix. Despite his strong form leading up to the race, Leclerc was overshadowed by his teammate Carlos Sainz, who claimed victory. Prior to the event, Leclerc had achieved seven consecutive front-row starts and had shown promising pace in practice sessions. However, he struggled with the balance of his car during qualifying and ended up in fifth position, with Sainz starting second behind polesitter Max Verstappen. Although Leclerc managed to climb to second place during the race, his difficulties in one-lap speed hindered his overall performance, and he had to settle for finishing behind his teammate. In contrast, Sainz took advantage of Ferrari’s competitiveness and Verstappen’s retirement to secure the lead and hold onto it until the end. When asked about his slower pace compared to Sainz, Leclerc admitted that it was his own fault and that he had not performed well during qualifying. He also mentioned that the race strategy was affected by an early pit stop due to incidents involving Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Despite the setbacks, Leclerc remains optimistic and believes that he and the team will bounce back from this disappointment.
Sainz remains the only driver to have achieved victory outside of Red Bull since the beginning of the previous season, with his success in Australia adding to his win in Singapore last September. While Leclerc acknowledges that he must ensure he comes out on top when similar opportunities arise again, he argues that he will not disregard his strong performance leading up to the Australian Grand Prix. Leclerc, who has not won a race since the Austrian Grand Prix in 2022, had outperformed Sainz in qualifying for each of the eight races held between his teammate’s two victories. “I mean, I can’t say that I’m happy with that in my life, of course not,” Leclerc added. “But wins are important, and points at the end of the season are even more crucial. However, I want to win and I want to return to winning as soon as possible. Carlos has done an exceptional job in the two opportunities we had, and now it’s my turn to respond and hopefully win the next one. That’s the objective, and I’m working tirelessly towards it. Ultimately, in Formula 1, people tend to quickly forget and focus solely on the most recent race. However, if I look at my last eight or nine races, I believe I have performed at a very high level. Nevertheless, in most of those races, the car was not capable of winning. But it’s my responsibility to be ready whenever the opportunity arises. And the truth is, I haven’t been able to do so in Singapore and the last race. But I will continue to push, of course. However, the fact that Carlos won’t be with Ferrari next year doesn’t add any additional pressure. My goal is always to strive for victory.”