MOTORSPORT: Melbourne sees red as Ferrari wins AGP

Charles Leclerc led a Ferrari parade through the streets of Albert Park to claim his first Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix in front of a record crowd win yesterday.

Starting from pole position, the red racer was never headed as he led Red Bull rival Sergio Perez to the podium.

World champion Max Verstappen was one of three retirements after mechanical failure in the leading Red Bull, allowing George Russell to claim third place for Mercedes-AMG and again finish ahead of his Silver Arrows teammate Lewis Hamilton.

“It’s unacceptable,” said Verstappen after his retirement, the second from three starts in season 2022.

But there were no complaints from Leclerc, who ignited a Ferrari celebration in Melbourne as the attendance record for the AGP was lifted to a new four-day record of 419,114 – reportedly a new height for an Australian sporting event.

“I think we were all surprised by our pace. We were extremely strong. I’m just so happy,” said Leclerc.

“What a race and what a pace. The car was incredible today, really.

“In Formula 1 it’s the first one where we control, a little bit, the gap.”

Perez looked racy throughout the 58-lap contest, twice passing Hamilton on pure speed. He got his chance to shine once Verstappen was out and was never threatened by Russell.

“Ferrari was super-strong today. We couldn't match them at any point,” said Perez.

“It is the first weekend where they are a step ahead. They were on another level.”

For Russell, third place was more about finishing than challenging the leaders. And he was happy for his first podium of the season with Mercedes-AMG.

“You’ve got to be there to win it. We got a little bit lucky today, twice, but we’ll take it,” said Russell.

“To be standing on the podium is special. [But] Lewis and I have no interest in battling for P5 and P6. There are no hard feelings.

“We have such high expectations for all of us. We were a long way behind our rivals. We are here to win.”

Daniel Ricciardo raced strongly at home but was again overshadowed by his British teammate Lando Norris, rolling home sixth for McLaren. He was held back at the flag as Norris was managing a problem with his car on the final lap.

The first race at Albert Park since COVID, on a revised circuit with a new surface and all-new cars, produced plenty of action and close racing. There was even some good passing moves, something often missing from previous AGPs events.

But Carlos Sainz got no chance to improve the Ferrari result as he crashed on the first lap, while Sebastian Vettel also crashed his Aston Martin.

Verstappen looked solid in second, and threatened Leclerc on one of the Safety Car restarts, before his car rolled to a stop with a fire in the back end.

“I smell something weird. The car is shitting itself,” said Verstappen.

The next race in the world championship is on home ground for Ferrari, at Imola in Italy, in a fortnight.

“I don’t want to think about it too much,” said Leclerc.

“Obviously we are only at the third race, so it’s difficult to think about the championship, but we have a strong car. If it continues like this we have a strong chance for the championship. It’s great to be back in this position.”

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