These are still early days in the 2022 Formula 1 world championship, but after three rounds, Charles Leclerc and Ferrari hold a commanding lead in the wake of the first Australian Grand Prix since 2019.
Leclerc was utterly dominant at the revised Albert Park track on Sunday, only briefly allowing Max Verstappen a sniff of hope from a slightly botched restart following a safety car interlude.
It was the only blemish in a superb performance, with Ferrari joy compounded by the world champion’s second retirement in three races. There are still 20 left, so no one in Maranello should be getting too ahead of themselves. But the start of this new era, following F1’s major chassis regulation changes, couldn’t have been much brighter for the Prancing Horse in the wake of two frustrating years of mediocrity.
Retirements “unacceptable” for Verstappen
Red Bull’s new-found reliability concerns are a worry for Verstappen and everyone at the Milton Keynes-based team. Exactly what caused Verstappen to pull off at two-thirds distance wasn’t precisely clear in the immediate aftermath, but the Red Bull looked a sorry state covered in fire extinguishant from cautious marshals.
Verstappen’s withering verdict was all too predictable and understandable, especially in the wake of his DNF in the Bahrain season opener. He suddenly finds himself a gaping 46 points behind Leclerc in what should still develop into a two-horse race for this year’s title.
Leclerc’s small error from the second safety car restart, caused by Sebastian Vettel’s clumsy crash in his Aston Martin, did briefly make him vulnerable to attack from Verstappen. He was fortunate the Dutchman couldn’t use his DRS from the restart, allowing Leclerc to parry Max’s advances.
Other than that, Verstappen knew he was well beaten in Australia, even before his Red Bull let him down. That’s another worry, although form looks set to swing from circuit to circuit this year. Red Bull will be fired up to hit back on Ferrari’s home ground next time out at Imola on 24 April – and after this blow, it really needs to.
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The only thing that's guaranteed to beat Verstappen is?.......Verstappen!, he does himself and the sport no favours with his ultra aggressive, bad boy, mind game style, let's say, just too confident.