Carlos Sainz orchestrated a commanding performance at the Australian Grand Prix, leading a Ferrari one-two finish that halted Red Bull’s previous dominance in Formula 1.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc lauded his teammate, Carlos Sainz, for his remarkable victory at the Australian Grand Prix despite undergoing an appendectomy recently. Leclerc acknowledged that Sainz’s triumph was virtually sealed during the initial pit stop phase of the race.
Sainz faced a setback when he was forced to miss the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix due to appendicitis, withdrawing from the Jeddah weekend on Friday following his diagnosis.
Remarkably, just 13 days after undergoing surgery, the resilient Spaniard was back behind the wheel at Albert Park. Demonstrating impressive speed throughout the weekend, Sainz secured the second spot on the starting grid.
During the race, Sainz executed a flawless overtake on Max Verstappen of Red Bull, who later retired from the competition. From that point onwards, Sainz maintained a commanding lead without facing any significant challenges, ultimately clinching his third Formula 1 race victory.
Leclerc trailed closely behind, securing second place, thus marking a memorable Ferrari one-two finish – a feat not achieved since the opening race of the 2022 season in Bahrain.
“It feels good, mostly for the team of course,” Leclerc stated. “First and second hasn’t happened since Bahrain 2022, which are good memories that we have. It is amazing that we can do that.
“Carlos has had an incredible weekend to come back after his surgery, he has done an amazing race.”
Leclerc commented on his race performance, stating: “I struggled a bit more on my second stint, I didn’t manage the tires well. The final stint was more positive, but first and second is the best we can do.”
Following Verstappen’s retirement early in the 58-lap race, Leclerc emerged in third position. However, through strategic maneuvers, the Scuderia managed to overtake Lando Norris, who was then holding second place.
When asked if he could challenge his teammate for the victory, Leclerc, hailing from Monaco, responded, “Not really.
“In the first stint, we had to protect from behind so we had to stop a bit earlier, and from the second stint onwards, Carlos was very fast, and with my tires, I was struggling. As soon as we stopped for the first time, for me it was clear.
“Carlos has done a better job all weekend – at least in qualifying and the race – and he deserved that victory. I am really happy for him, I am really happy for the team. We came into the weekend telling ourselves we needed to maximize our points and there is nothing we could have done better.”
