2023 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix highlights

Scuderia Ferrari

Scuderia Ferrari leaves Australia without any points, having clearly demonstrated that it has made progress in race pace compared to the opening two rounds. Charles Leclerc had to retire after going off the track immediately after the start. Carlos Sainz dropped out of the points because of a five-second time penalty imposed on the final lap, taking him from 4th to 12th, having produced an aggressive drive to charge up the order.

Early stages. Carlos got away well from fifth on the grid, while from seventh, Charles tried to pass Lance Stroll at Turn 3. The Canadian had to move over on the Ferrari to avoid a car ahead of him, sending the SF-23 into a spin that ended with it stuck in the gravel. Shortly afterwards, the Safety Car came out again after Alex Albon hit the barriers. The team, therefore, opted to get the compulsory pit stop out of the way and switch Carlos from the Medium tyres to the Hards, with the Spaniard rejoining in 11th place, all set to move up the order as others pitted later, a strategy also adopted by the then race leader George Russell. But the race was then red-flagged to allow the debris to be cleared, thus nullifying the advantage of Carlos’ well-chosen strategy. The lone Ferrari took the ensuing standing start from the sixth row.

Fight back. At the restart, Carlos, still on the Hard tyres, went on an overtaking spree, despatching Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, Yuki Tsunoda, Nico Hülkenberg, Lance Stroll and Pierre Gasly in quick succession so that by lap 25, he was up to the fourth place. He then ran at a consistent pace in the SF-23, thus keeping in touch with Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso while still managing to look after his tyres, clear proof that recent work at Maranello and on track, mainly in terms of race pace is beginning to deliver.

Cruel finale. With fewer than ten laps remaining, Kevin Magnussen brought out the second red flag of the afternoon. There was another standing start with only two laps to go. Carlos lined up on the second row and got a perfect start, coming alongside third-placed Alonso going into Turn 1. The two Spaniards collided, with both able to continue and Carlos up to the third place. But then it was chaos further back with both Alpines in the barriers. Another red flag, but the stewards deemed the race would still have to complete the planned 58 laps and those cars still able to run completed the last lap behind the Safety Car, which pitted so the queue of cars could take the chequered flag. Carlos was fourth across the line but classified 12th because of the 5-second penalty imposed following the coming together with Alonso. The world championship resumes in four weekends’ time, with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on 30 April.

Carlos Sainz #55

I had a good start and felt confident on the medium tyre, but we were unlucky, pitting just before they brought out the first red flag, and I dropped down to P11. From there, I managed to pull off a good comeback with nice overtakes and a solid pace, so I’m happy about that.

Overall, it was a good race, but the penalty ruined all the effort, and I disagree with it. The frustration I feel right now will be difficult to digest, but I will try to think only of the positives from today and focus on the next race.

Charles Leclerc #16

It was unfortunate to end the race today, but it was a racing incident, and I don’t think we could have done anything differently. Disappointing, but on to the next one where I hope things will run more smoothly again.

Frédéric Vasseur, Team Principal

Today’s result, not scoring points, does not reflect our progress as a team. We have taken a step forward in terms of pure performance, and even more importantly, we had a decent and consistent race pace on the various tyre compounds, including the Hard. Only yesterday’s qualifying did not match our potential.

Our initial reaction is frustrating, with Charles clearly unlucky to be involved in a racing incident at the start. It was a good call to bring Carlos in under the first Safety Car, but following the red flag, he had to start again from P11, from which he recovered very well. The penalty had a devastating effect on the final result for him. Still, despite this, we go back to Maranello knowing that we are moving in the right direction, and we now have three weeks to keep working on optimising and updating the SF-23 for the coming races.

Scuderia Ferrari best pictures:

2023 Formula 1 Australian GP

Carlos Sainz, 2023 Formula 1 Australian GP

1 – GP AUSTRALIA F1/2023 – GIOVEDI’ 30/03/2023

2023 Formula 1 Australian GP

Frederic Vasseur, 2023 Formula 1 Australian GP

3 – GP AUSTRALIA F1/2023 – SABATO 01/04/2023 credit: @Scuderia Ferrari Press Office

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