Charles Leclerc stated that his start at the Australian GP last Sunday (8) was far from perfect, despite starting from fourth on the grid and taking the lead at the first corner with Ferrari. The move was highly praised by experts and the public, who highlighted Ferrari’s strength at the beginning of the race, with Lewis Hamilton also being a protagonist by moving from seventh to third.
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Commenting on the moment with the press, Leclerc denied that he had an ideal start. “Not at all, not at all,” he stated. “I mean, from the outside it even looked like it, but I think we all had the same problem for some reason, so it’s something we need to review.”
The Monegasque explained that he dealt with low energy availability at the start of the race. “My battery was very, very low for some reason, probably a bit higher than theirs, which helped me get ahead, but it was still well below ideal.” In addition to Leclerc, several drivers complained about the lack of energy at the start. Laurent Mekies explained that the Red Bull cars ran out of battery because of the acceleration and braking methods used during the formation lap.
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The Ferrari driver also revealed that he feared losing positions before the start. “I thought I would finish in P8, P9, but then the start happened and I saw that everyone was having problems, and I was the one with the fewest problems, which in the end is what counts. But there is a lot of room to improve these starts,” he said. “It was well below ideal, I think for everyone.”
“We kind of expected a messy start, and I think, besides that, we are on a very thin line before getting everything right on the power units, and the lights out was very, very, very fast. This surprised everyone, besides making everything even more critical. So, it was kind of crazy,” added the driver, who finished the race in third place, securing Ferrari’s first podium in 2026.
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