MELBOURNE, Australia — Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc continued his early season dominance as he surged to victory in Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park.
Leclerc had heat from reigning world champion Max Verstappen in the early going, until Verstappen’s Oracle Red Bull engine caught fire on lap 39, giving him his second retirement in three races.
Once Verstappen was out of the picture, it was a clear road the rest of the way for Leclerc, earning the fourth win of his career, and his fourth from pole position.
“Honestly, what a car today,” said Leclerc. “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. Tires felt great from the first lap to the last lap, we were managing the tires extremely well and I am just so happy.”
Leclerc’s Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz brought out the first yellow flag of the day just two laps into the event, after Sainz went into turn 10 too deep and got caught in a sand trap.
The Aston Martin of Sebastian Vettel made impact with the wall, bringing out the second caution of the day on lap 24, ending his already dismal weekend early.
Rounding out the podium was Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, with Mercedes George Russell coming home in third to earn his first podium of the season.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton finished fourth for Mercedes, 28 seconds behind Leclerc. McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo rounded out the top six.
Haas F1 drivers Mick Schumacher and Kevin Magnussen each gained two positions from their starting spots, finishing 13th and 14th, respectively.
After his masterful drive, Leclerc now owns a 34-point advantage over second-place Russell.