On his way to his first win at Albert Park, Charles Leclerc led all 58 laps with Max Verstappen challenging until his retirement.
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After a show of dominance in Melbourne, Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc said he was able to control the lead of a race for the first time in F1, as the Ferrari driver extended his championship lead with a very comfortable victory in the Australian Grand Prix. On his way to his first win at Albert Park, Leclerc led all 58 laps, with Verstappen challenging but eventually retiring from a likely second-place finish on Lap 39. Before Verstappen stopped on the track, Leclerc’s lead over the Dutchman hovered at just over five seconds. The Ferrari driver warned his rivals that this was the first time in his career that he had been able to control a race lead.
Read More – Australian GP 2022: Max Verstappen frustrated after second retirement in three races
“In Formula 1, it’s the first race where we controlled a little bit the gap,” the Monegasque said. “Honestly, what a car today. Of course, I did [well] all weekend, but it was not possible without the car. And this weekend, especially in the race pace, we were extremely strong. Tyres felt great from the first lap to the last lap, we were managing the tyres extremely well, and I am just so happy.”
Leclerc now has a 34-point lead over Mercedes’ third-place finisher George Russell in the standings, as well as a four-point lead over teammate Carlos Sainz, who retired early in the race.
In Melbourne, Max Verstappen retired from his second Grand Prix in three races, missing out on what he described as an “easy P2” behind eventual winner Charles Leclerc – with the Dutchman unimpressed by his Australian Grand Prix stoppage. Verstappen had qualified a disgruntled P2 behind Leclerc on Saturday and looked set to repeat the performance in Sunday’s race, despite never having the pace to threaten the Ferrari driver, who went on to win his second race of the season and extend his championship lead.
Read More – Australian GP 2022: Charles Leclerc takes dominating win as Max Verstappen retires
But then, on Lap 39 of 58, Verstappen was forced to retire, leaving the reigning champion – now in sixth place in the drivers’ standings, with only 25 points for his Jeddah victory – looking unimpressed when asked how much of a setback this was for his 2022 title hopes.
“We’re already miles behind,” a frustrated Verstappen said. “I don’t even want to think about the championship fight at the moment. I think it’s more important to finish races.”
