In the tabloid format, the Spaniard secured second place with his fastest lap in Q3, trailing behind the dominant Max Verstappen who clinched his third consecutive pole position in 2024.
Despite recently undergoing surgery to remove an inflamed appendix, Sainz outperformed his Ferrari teammate Leclerc during the session, surpassing expectations. He had missed the previous Saudi Arabian Grand Prix due to appendicitis, and his spot was filled by 18-year-old talent Oliver Bearman, who impressed with a seventh-place finish in his Formula 1 debut. Bearman has since returned to his Formula 2 responsibilities for the third round of the Championship.
Sainz openly admitted to experiencing discomfort during the free practice sessions on Friday and Saturday, making his achievement of securing a front row position in his SF-24 even more remarkable.
Reflecting on the past few weeks, the 29-year-old expressed his satisfaction, stating, “Going from missing the race in Jeddah to securing second place in just two weeks has been quite a journey! I’m extremely happy because when I arrived in Australia, I wasn’t even sure if I would be able to participate.”
“We steadily made progress with each session, knowing that our goal was to be as prepared as possible for qualifying. I gave it my all in the final lap to secure pole position, but given the circumstances, I can’t be disappointed with today’s result,” he added.
Last year in Melbourne, Sainz had a rough day, finishing in twelfth place. However, this time around, he is hopeful that with a good night’s rest, he will be fully energized for the race on Sunday. He continued, “I hope my body holds up throughout the entire race. As long as I’m pain-free and fueled by today’s success, I will fight for a strong result tomorrow.”
Teammate Leclerc seemed to struggle more with the balance of his Ferrari compared to Sainz. The Monegasque was compelled to abandon his final flying lap as he lost control of the rear of the car through the last part of the track, opting to enter the pits instead of completing the lap.
In the end, Leclerc was even surpassed by the McLaren of Lando Norris, finishing in fifth place.
This is what Charles had to say about the session: “I simply didn’t find the right sensation today, starting from FP3. During qualifying, the front of the car wasn’t as powerful as I desired, so I took an aggressive approach with the front wing on my last attempt and ultimately, it didn’t pay off.”
With superior race pace, Leclerc anticipates moving up the running order throughout the 58-lap event. He continued: “With a solid start, and if I manage to overtake Lando (Norris), we can concentrate on battling the cars ahead together with Carlos.
“The race is lengthy and there are 4 DRS zones at this circuit, so overtaking is feasible. Let’s see what we can achieve,” added Leclerc, who last year failed to complete a single lap of the race in Melbourne after a collision on the first lap.
The Australian Grand Prix will take place at 04:00 GMT (15:00 local time) around the Albert Park Circuit on Sunday, March 24th, with the Scuderia closer to the pace-setting Red Bulls than they have been in quite some time.
A flawless lap from @Carlossainz55 puts him on the front row for the #AusGP 🇦🇺 ✌️ pic.twitter.com/rUd8Pg5VHP
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) March 23, 2024