F1: Leclerc dominates down under – Gulf Digital News

F1: Leclerc dominates down under – Gulf Digital News

The winner’s trophy for the Australian Grand Prix is a silver replica steering wheel of the 1959 Cooper-Climax T51, as driven by Australian Sir Jack Brabham.

It’s one of the best looking trophies on the calendar and carries a huge weight of history alongside it. Sir Jack won the drivers’ championship in that 1959 Cooper, but only after his car ran out of fuel in the final race and he had to push it over the line to finish fourth and claim the points he needed for the championship.

As Charles Leclerc raised this famous trophy for Ferrari on the podium in Australia this weekend, his experience could not have been more different. His total dominance of the race from start to finish was compelling and his ease of victory was a reminder to every other team in F1 that they have a long way to go to match the Italian team.

Qualifying on Saturday was a reasonable sign of things to come, with Leclerc qualifying on pole three tenths ahead of Verstappen, with his Red Bull teammate in third. For the first time this season, both McLaren and Mercedes qualified well taking the next four positions, whilst Sainz was unlucky in the