In tabloid format, the Spaniard secured second place with his fastest lap in Q3, behind the dominant Max Verstappen, who claimed his third consecutive pole position in 2024.
Despite recently undergoing surgery to remove an inflamed appendix, Sainz outperformed his Ferrari teammate Leclerc during the session, exceeding expectations. He had missed the previous Saudi Arabian Grand Prix due to appendicitis, and his place was taken by 18-year-old talent Oliver Bearman, who impressed with a seventh place in his Formula 1 debut. Bearman has since returned to his responsibilities in Formula 2 for the third round of the Championship.
Sainz openly admitted to feeling discomfort during the free practice sessions on Friday and Saturday, making his achievement of a front row position in his SF-24 even more remarkable.
Reflecting on the past weeks, the 29-year-old driver expressed his satisfaction, stating: “Going from missing the race in Jeddah to securing second place in just two weeks has been an incredible journey! I am extremely happy because when I arrived in Australia, I wasn’t even sure if I would be able to participate.”
“We constantly progressed in each session, knowing that our goal was to be as prepared as possible for qualifying. I gave my best on the final lap to secure pole position, but given the circumstances, I can’t be disappointed with today’s result,” he added.
Last year in Melbourne, Sainz had a tough day, finishing in twelfth place. However, this time, he is hopeful that with a good night’s rest, he will be fully energized for the race on Sunday. He continued: “I hope my body holds up throughout the race. As long as I am pain-free and fueled by today’s success, I will fight for a good result tomorrow.”
Team mate Leclerc seemed to struggle more with the balance of his Ferrari compared to Sainz. The Monegasque was forced to abandon his final quick lap as he lost control of the rear of the car in the last part of the track, opting to pit instead of completing the lap.
In the end, Leclerc was even overtaken by Lando Norris’ McLaren, finishing in fifth place.
This is what Charles had to say about the session: “I just couldn’t find the right feeling today, starting from FP3. During qualifying, the front of the car wasn’t as strong as I wished, so I took an aggressive approach with the front wing on my last attempt and in the end, it didn’t work out.”
With superior race pace, Leclerc hopes to climb up the order over the 58 laps of the race. He continued: “With a good start and if I can overtake Lando (Norris), we can focus on fighting with the cars ahead alongside Carlos.”
“The race is long and there are 4 DRS zones on this circuit, so overtaking is possible. Let’s see what we can achieve,” added Leclerc, who last year failed to complete a single lap of the race in Melbourne after a collision on the first lap.
The Australian Grand Prix will take place at 04:00 GMT (15:00 local time) at the Albert Park Circuit on Sunday, March 24, with the Scuderia closer to the Red Bull leaders than it has been for some time.
An impeccable lap by @Carlossainz55 puts him on the front row for the #AusGP š¦šŗ āļø pic.twitter.com/rUd8Pg5VHP
ā Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) 23 March 2024
Ā© 2024
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