It was another strong weekend for Scuderia Ferrari, with Charles Leclerc finishing second and Carlos Sainz Jr third at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
It was so nearly back-to-back victories for Leclerc, however the Monegasque driver lost out late on to World Champion Max Verstappen, the pair were entangled in an exhilarating battle at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. Leclerc had been leading for a large majority of the race, until a fully-charged Verstappen got within DRS range late on. Leclerc battled hard but fairly, however was unable to keep Verstappen behind despite terrific defending.
Sainz had a straightforward race, the Spaniard initially ran in fourth, before moving up to third after the race’s only Safety Car. Sainz was involved in a slight misunderstanding, as Sergio Pérez was made to let the Ferrari driver past, after overtaking illegally whilst the Safety Car was out.
Ferrari are sitting comfortably at the top of the Constructors’ Standings with Leclerc also leading the World Championship, Team Principal Mattia Binotto is very pleased with how the season has begun for the Scuderia.
This evening, we were all treated to a great show with two strong drivers fighting for the win. In the end, it didn’t go our way, but once again we were competitive. It’s been a great start to the season, with 78 points scored over the two races, out of a possible total of 88. That’s definitely a significant figure and we can be pleased about it. Charles and Carlos both did well and were clear thinking, especially at the key moments, which helped in bringing home as many points as possible.
“A few incidents affected the outcome, but having said that, congratulations to Max and Red Bull who were very strong today. We move on from a positive weekend and head for the next two rounds in Melbourne and Imola, where we will try to get the most out of our car.”
