Ferrari manager Frédéric Vasseur says the team has “no regrets” about its strategic choice after initially battling Mercedes for victory at the Australian Grand Prix.
Fourth place Charles Leclerc got off to a great start, taking the lead from pole sitter George Russell at the first corner. He then adapted to F1’s new racing style, which relies heavily on energy distribution modes, and took the lead seven times in the first nine laps.
However, the on-track battle was interrupted by the virtual safety car on lap 13, with Mercedes putting both drivers on hard tires and Ferrari keeping Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton at bay.
Although the Ferrari drivers were running on fresh hard tires for the second half of the race, neither driver seemed to be able to catch eventual winner George Russell or second place Kimi Antonelli, with Leclerc finishing third and Hamilton fourth.
“Mercedes’ pace was better than us,” Vasseur said.
“When they pitted, they were three or four tenths faster than us, but they maintained this pace throughout the stint. Well, we could have fought a little more early on, but maybe we could have put a little more effort into the tires.”
“We have no regrets about our strategy, and we have no regrets about our pace today. We have taken a decent step compared to yesterday. Let’s focus on China now.”
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Anthony Davidson and Bernie Collins discuss whether Ferrari made a strategic mistake during the Australian Grand Prix
While some teams suffered from tire deterioration during the race, Mercedes did not, allowing Russell and Antonelli to complete 45 laps on the hard course without slowing down too much.
Vasseur said Ferrari was worried about being able to make a one-stop when Mercedes pitted, and the problem was “pure pace, not strategy”.
“We have to be realistic. Yesterday they were eight-tenths faster than us. We fought like hell at the beginning,” he said.
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Mercedes and Ferrari join the race as George Russell and Charles Leclerc battle for P1 at Australian Grand Prix
“No one was expecting a one-stop at this stage of the race. We were aiming for what was best for us and the best thing was to extend.
“Now we’re a bit surprised, but I think Mercedes was too (and) with the life of the tires, we could have done 300 laps today.”
Leclerc suggests Ferrari wanted to wait for another VSC
The virtual safety car was brought in again on lap 19, but the pit stop was closed due to damage to Valtteri Bottas’ Cadillac, so Ferrari was unable to make a pit stop cheaply.
Leclerc suggested that Ferrari was expecting a more attrition race leading to a further safety car or virtual safety car to provide more opportunities before pitting.
In the end, both Ferrari drivers pitted under green flag conditions, but Russell and Antonelli, who were on older tires, were unable to make up for the lost time compared to the Mercedes drivers who were on new rubber.
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Lewis Hamilton was happy with the result of the first race but insisted Ferrari had work to do to catch up with Mercedes
Leclerc said: “I don’t regret it. It was a choice I wanted, I wanted it and made it consciously. If you look at it from FP1 to now, there has been at least one car stopped in every session.”
“I knew there was a very good chance that this race would not be my only VSC, so I thought it was probably better to wait for another VSC.
“Of course, it’s always a gamble. We didn’t expect it to turn out like this. The reality is that there have been other VSCs since then, especially one that was in a good position, but this time unfortunately the pit entrance was closed and we couldn’t accept that. So we were a bit unlucky on that front, but it was also a conscious choice and I don’t really regret it.”
Leclerc and Hamilton took the checkered flag just six tenths apart, with the seven-time world champion closing in on his Ferrari teammate at the end.
Hamilton thought he could overtake Leclerc with two laps to go and become the first Ferrari driver to finish on the podium.
“I’m really proud of the team in general, they’ve done a great job getting the car into place,” he told Sky Sports F1.
“Obviously we’re not as fast as Mercedes and we have some work to do, but we’re in the middle of a fight. It was a really fun race and it felt good for me. A few more laps would have given me Charles, so I had a great pace. There were a lot of positives to take from today.”
F1 heads to Shanghai this Friday for the first sprint weekend of the 2026 season, the Chinese Grand Prix, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports now – cancel anytime with no contract
