Ferrari team principal Frederik Visser says his team’s Australian Grand Prix success proves that Red Bull are more likely to make mistakes when under pressure.
Carlos Sainz led team-mate Charles Leclerc to a one-two finish in Melbourne as Ferrari capitalized on the early retirement of reigning world champion Max Verstappen.
The Dutchman, who is seeking a fourth consecutive drivers’ title, came into the weekend on a nine-race winning streak but appeared far from assured of victory as Ferrari showed strong pace in practice.
Verstappen produced an impressive qualifying performance to eventually take pole position but then retired after just four laps with brake failure.
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Carlos Sainz and Frederik Visser celebrate Ferrari’s big win in Australia!
“This weekend I think it’s a good proof that when we put everything together, and I’m not sure we’ll be able to do it every weekend, we put them under a little bit of pressure. We can,” Visor said.
“And it’s when they’re under pressure that they make more mistakes.
“We have to continue in this direction. We are more confident in the fact that we can organize this kind of event.
“From one lap, one day, we were there, we were performing, and it was very easy, and it is the situation that we are doing the best car for Sunday.”
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Max Verstappen expressed his frustration at the Red Bull mechanics after a brake problem meant he only lasted three laps at the Australian GP.
2024 Ferrari ‘very easy’ to develop
The result brought Leclerc to within four points of Verstappen in the drivers’ standings, while Sainz would likely have been the world championship leader had it not been for his absence in Saudi Arabia.
Sainz finished on the podium in Bahrain behind West Ham and Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez before Leclerc achieved the same result in Jeddah.
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Carlos Sainz produces an incredible performance to win the Australian Grand Prix for a Ferrari 1-2, while George Russell crashes on the final lap for a Mercedes double DNF.
The results mark a continuation of a strong finish for Ferrari last season, and Visor seems to think there is a lot of potential to be unlocked from a car that is “very easy” to develop from its predecessor.
“We took a big step,” Visser added. “I think it’s more of a synergy between the two mixes or between one stunt and another.”
“The car is very easy to drive, very easy to read for drivers, by the way, very easy to develop.”
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Australian PP highlights from Albert Park, Melbourne
“It’s probably the biggest step we made compared to last year, to achieve something that we can’t easily manage, but at least to have a good reading of the car over the weekend.
“Confidence is a big part of the results in our business, and I think we are building confidence in the last month, but it was already in the last part of the season last year.”
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