Charles Leclerc claims he knew Ferrari would win the Australian GP even before qualifying

Ferrari had an extremely strong outing with both its drivers at the Australian GP.

Charles Leclerc claims he knew Ferrari would win the Australian GP even before qualifying

Charles Leclerc (via IMAGO)

Ferrari secured a 1-2 finish at the hands of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc in Australia for the first time since 2004. Moreover, the prancing horses were on pace with the Red Bulls this past weekend and were there to cash in on the opportunity provided to them by Max Verstappen’s retirement. The former five-time race winner, Leclerc, has shed light on the true pace of the Scuderia and revealed what expectations he had since FP1 on Friday.

Carlos Sainz led a glorious finish for the Italian outfit at the Australian GP. The result was a surprise for most fans as the Spaniard was recovering from an appendicitis surgery and the Monegasque had a botched qualifying session.

Despite such setbacks, the 26-year-old has revealed that he was convinced that Ferrari was on par with Red Bull around the Albert Park F1 circuit. 

It's been a long time since we have had the genuine pace to have Red Bull - I wouldn't say under control, because we don't know what was the real pace of Max [Verstappen]today, but I will say that from FP1, we knew that pole position and the race win were possible because we had very good tyre degradation, very good pace. That is a very encouraging sign.
Charles Leclerc said in an interview with motorsport.com

Leclerc elaborated that he was convinced with the earlier outing in Free Practice that Ferrari would have the upper hand on race day. Moreover, Red Bull driver, Sergio Perez, after finishing in fifth at the end of the 58-lap race, stated that the Ferraris were too fast for anyone and would have won even if Max Verstappen had not retired.

Carlos Sainz affirmed Charles Leclerc’s statements

While Charles Leclerc admitted that Ferrari had a strong pace in Australia, his teammate, Carlos Sainz, also spoke on the same lines after that race. Regardless of Verstappen’s DNF, the Spaniard was adamant about Ferrari’s pace.

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Australia 2024
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz (Via IMAGO)

The 29-year-old was on cloud nine after winning the Australian GP.

From lap one, it felt like a race-winning car. And even if Red Bull were also quick and were on pole, that [1min15.915sec pole lap time] in quali wasn't out of reach for us.
Carlos Sainz said in an interview with motorsports.com

Sainz started the Australian GP on the front row and was on the attack from the get-go. Moreover, on the second lap, Sainz overtook Verstappen and controlled the race from then onwards. This showcased the low tire degradation of the Scuderia and the raw pace of the SF-24 which helped Sainz to conduct a ‘smooth operation’.

Despite the win, Ferrari would be working to improve their car before arriving in Japan as Red Bulls still have the edge over them at more conventional tracks. However, the Scarlet duo is impressed with the car’s overall characteristics and thus, will be aiming to achieve a few more wins this year.

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