Charles Leclerc took a dig at Mercedes’ relative slow pace by jokingly recommending the use of a Ferrari safety car after the Australian GP.
Leclerc put in a dominant performance throughout the race weekend in Melbourne, as F1 returned to the land down under for the first time since 2019.The Monegasque took pole position in Qualifying after which he comfortably won the race on Sunday.
He became the first Ferrari driver since Fernando Alonso in 2010 to complete a Grand Slam, after taking home the extra point for the fastest lap of the race. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez finished P2, followed by Mercedes’ George Russell.
The race on Sunday saw the Safety Car being deployed on more than one occasion. Leclerc, who was leading the race felt that Bernd Mayländer was going too slow.
In the post match press conference, the 24-year old said, “I wanted to complain. “But then I checked how much the safety car slid in the corner. So I don’t think there was anything more the SC could give, so I didn’t want to put too much pressure.”
Also read: Daniel Ricciardo says he is satisfied with McLaren’s strong outing at his home race in Australia
Charles Leclerc jokingly suggests the use of Ferrari safety cars
While on the subject of Safety Cars, Russell shared a light moment by stating that they don’t face any issues with the Mercedes safety cars. He added that they’re about five seconds faster than the Aston Martin cars (ones used in Australia).
“We don’t have the issues with the Mercedes AMG safety car,” Russell said. “Honestly the Mercedes AMG is 5s a lap quicker than the Aston Martin safety car.” Leclerc had a reply ready in his mind to Russell’s comments.
“We need to put a Ferrari, so then it is 5s quicker than the Mercedes!” he replied.
This was a dig taken at Mercedes’ relative slow car this year. They’re lacking in terms of speed compared to Ferrari and Red Bull, but better reliability than the latter has helped them stay ahead.
Ferrari on the other hand have the strongest car so far this season. They’ve looked fast and reliable in the opening three rounds and it seems like they’re favorites to win both Titles this year.
Also read: Red Bull chief admits that the team will be struggling ahead in the 2022 season
