Leclerc: Ferrari's Australian GP pit-stop gamble was a 'conscious choice'

MELBOURNE, Australia — Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc says the team’s failure to pit under the first virtual safety car period, which likely cost him a higher place than third, was a “conscious choice,” as the Scuderia was waiting for another chance later in the race.

Leclerc took the lead into turn one, following a lightning start from fourth on the grid, and diced with Mercedes’ George Russell for the lead until the Virtual Safety Car was deployed on lap 12 due to the stopped Red Bull of Isack Hadjar. An opportunity that both Mercedes cars took to pit for a cheap stop.

But Leclerc says Ferrari’s failure to take the stop, too, was not a mistake; instead that Ferrari’s decision was based on the fact the team believed there would be more safety car appearances as the race went on.

“I don’t regret it,” Leclerc said at the official post-race press conference. “It was a wanted choice, a wanted and conscious choice. Looking from (Free Practice 1) to now, there’s been at every session a car that was stopped, at least one car.

“We knew that there were very high chances that this was not going to be the only VSC of the race, and so we thought that it was better for us to maybe wait for another one — and that’s always a gamble. Of course, we didn’t know that this will happen.

“(The) reality is we had another VSC after (it) and one which was particularly well placed. But, unfortunately, on this one, for us, the pit entry was closed and we couldn’t take it, so we were a little bit unlucky on that side, but it was a conscious choice again and I don’t really regret it.”