“Nobody expected a result like this,” Fred Vasseur makes honest admission after Carlos Sainz’s Australian GP victory
Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur admitted that no one expected Carlos Sainz to claim the 2024 Australian GP victory. The Spaniard was still in the process of recovering from his appendicitis surgery from two weeks ago, as he claimed his first victory of the season on Sunday.
Fred Vasseur applauded Carlos Sainz for a brilliant drive at the Albert Park, as he helped Ferrari secured their first 1-2 finish since the season opener in Bahrain in 2022. The former McLaren driver is still without a seat for the next season, and has revealed that there are no offers on the table just yet.
Fred Vasseur stated that in the months leading up to the season, the goal was to push to the limit until the end of the season.
“This winter we agreed together to push until the last lap of the season,” said Fred. “And he did a fantastic job. He was there in Bahrain, pushing the team also, and for sure Jeddah was a tough weekend, a tough weekend for Carlos, a tough weekend for the team.“
“But the recovery is mega. You have to keep in mind that two weeks ago he was in the hospital. I think even Friday he was not 100 per cent sure to be able to drive. And after a couple of laps, he was on the pace, and this was part of the success – because you can’t give up one lap in free practice if you want to perform. For sure, it’s amazing. If you have a look on where he’s coming from nobody expected a result like this today,” he added.
Fred Vasseur denies Carlos Sainz having an advantage over Charles Leclerc
Fred Vasseur also denied the fact that Carlos Sainz had the advantage over Charles Leclerc at the Australian GP.
“We are speaking about plus or minus half a tenth,” he said. “And classification is one thing, the pace is another one. I think during the race the issue is that we had to cover [Oscar] Piastri at the beginning, that was not ideal in terms of race time, for sure,” he added.
“We didn’t want to give up the position on track, and we put him in a tough situation. But on the last stint, he knew more about the degradation of the hard, and he was able to be very consistent and it was a good one,” said Vasseur.
Ferrari have now cut the deficit to just four points in the Constructor Championship. Three-time World Champion Max Verstappen was forced to retire in the opening laps after issues with his rear break. His teammate Sergio Perez managed to finish only fifth, which meant that Red Bull could score only 10 points in Australia. Red Bull had a near perfect start to the season, finishing 1-2 in the first two races of the season.
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