Carlos Sainz Jr, the winner of the race, drove his Ferrari SF-24 past his team as he entered parc ferme. This occurred on 24th March 2024 during the Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 3, Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia, on Race Day.
Frederic Vasseur, the boss of the Ferrari Formula 1 team, commended the team’s significant progress in securing a 1-2 finish in Australia. He expressed disinterest in comparing their performance to that of Red Bull.
In Melbourne, Ferrari became the first team to outperform Red Bull this season. Carlos Sainz emerged victorious, with his teammate Charles Leclerc finishing in second place and also achieving the fastest lap.
With this achievement, Ferrari has closed the gap to Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship, now trailing by only four points. Vasseur expressed satisfaction with how the team executed their plans throughout the weekend.
Vasseur stated, “Not only did we have a good race, but we also had a seamless weekend right from the start. Our success today was built upon the foundation we laid on Friday. We had a smooth weekend without encountering any issues in the first half.”
In the first two races of the season, Ferrari had emerged as the closest competitor to Red Bull. However, in Saudi Arabia, Leclerc still trailed 18 seconds behind Verstappen’s RB20.
Despite missing out on pole position to Verstappen, Ferrari demonstrated their competitiveness against Red Bull at the Albert Park Circuit and capitalized on Verstappen’s retirement.
When asked about the differing performance levels between the two teams, Vasseur responded, “I am not focused on Red Bull’s performance at all. My attention is solely on the performance of our car. We have made a tremendous leap forward, particularly in terms of one-lap pace. Last year, we were nowhere in this aspect.”
Ferrari has taken a significant leap forward with its redesigned car for 2024, which has resulted in a more favorable foundation. This has left Vasseur feeling positive about the team’s prospects in both the short and long term.
According to Vasseur, the new car is much more user-friendly for the drivers and easier to develop. He believes it is the most significant improvement compared to last year and provides valuable insights into the car’s performance early in the race weekend.
The recent 1-2 finish for Ferrari in Bahrain 2022 has given the team a boost of confidence and momentum. Vasseur, in his second season as team principal, believes they must replicate their success in Australia to challenge Red Bull.
Confidence plays a crucial role in achieving results, and Vasseur believes they have been steadily building it over the past month, particularly in the latter part of the previous season. This weekend’s performance is evidence that when everything comes together, they can put pressure on their rivals and capitalize on their mistakes. They are confident in their ability to handle such events from the start and believe they have the best car for race day.