Charles Leclerc has already established a "good starting point" following his Ferrari debut in Australia, and the youngster is already pushing its engineers "hard", according to team boss Mattia Binotto.
Leclerc was signed to replace the ageing Kimi Raikkonen, who incidentally went to Alfa Romeo Racing (formerly Sauber) in Leclerc's place.
The 21-year-old Monegasque driver managed a P5 finish in Melbourne - but it could've been more if it wasn't for team orders that told Leclerc to slow down and hold position rather than challenge his new team-mate Sebastian Vettel - who was struggling for pace.
Asked by Autosport to sum up Leclerc's first weekend as a Ferrari driver, the boss of Scuderia said: "I'm happy, I'm happy with the way he's behaving as a team player.
"Not only as a driver, but he's very helpful for the team. He is very involved, trying to do his best, pushing the engineers hard to try and get even them to improve themselves and to have a better car.
ADVERTISEMENT
"If we judge his entire weekend, it's a pretty strong one. His quali(fying) wasn't perfect, he's aware of it, but I think he drove well also in Q1, Q2.
"Maybe not perfect in Q3, but generally speaking he had a good weekend. His second stint was also performing well. I'm happy with the way he's approached the first race and it's a good starting point."
Don’t miss GPblog in Google
Mark us as a preferred source and our articles will appear more often at the top of Top Stories.
Add as a preferred / source on GoogleRead more about:
latest news
Austrian Grand Prix
Overview
Friday 26.06.26
Practice 1
11:30 AM
Practice 2
03:00 PM
Saturday 27.06.26
Practice 3
10:30 AM
Qualification
02:00 PM
Sunday 28.06.26
Race
01:00 PM
Friday 26.06.26
Practice 1
Fri 11:30 AM
Practice 2
Fri 03:00 PM
Saturday 27.06.26
Practice 3
Sat 10:30 AM
Qualification
Sat 02:00 PM
Sunday 28.06.26
Race
Sun 01:00 PM
Times are in your local timezone
Rumors
Popular on GPBlog
1
Villeneuve blasts Hamilton's 'stupid' comment: 'Why would he say that?'
1193 times read
2
Ricciardo resurfaces with candid open letter after Indy 500 appearance
1013 times read
3
Championship leader Bezzecchi banned from Czech GP after striking track marshal
886 times read
4
Bagnaia defeats Ogura and Marquez to claim memorable sprint win in Brno
802 times read
F1-stand 2026
Season
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | MercedesMER | 156 | |
2 | FerrariFER | 115 | |
3 | MercedesMER | 106 | |
4 | FerrariFER | 75 | |
5 | McLarenMCL | 73 | |
6 | McLarenMCL | 70 | |
7 | Red Bull RacingRBR | 55 | |
8 | Red Bull RacingRBR | 37 | |
9 | AlpineALP | 32 | |
10 | Racing BullsRCB | 28 |
Loading
