Credits: IMAGO ZUMA Wire

In the build-up to the 2024 Japanese GP, Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc was asked about the team orders he received during the Australian GP about not fighting his teammate, Carlos Sainz, who eventually went on to win the race. Explaining the team’s position, the #16 driver accepted that they made the right decision.

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Leclerc was quoted on X (formerly Twitter) by Junaid Samodien as saying, “At one point I was asked not to fight and honestly, it made sense. I don’t think that in any case, I would have had the opportunity because Carlos and I found ourselves with slightly different strategies.”

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Sainz actually did have the edge over the Monegasque in terms of his tires. As Leclerc explained, there was only one stint during the race when he was on fresher rubber than his teammate.

This meant that the #55 driver would always have had a pace advantage, and an on-track battle between the duo would’ve only lost the team time and perhaps also track position. Throughout the race, the Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc were locked in a battle with the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

The MCL38 seemed to match the SF-24, on pace, but over a race distance, Ferrari did have a slight advantage over the Woking-based team. While Norris threatened Leclerc in the dying moments of the Grand Prix for second, the iconic Italian team was able to secure a 1-2 finish.

This was their first 1-2 since the 2022 Bahrain GP. This was down to the team orders as Leclerc and Sainz avoided handing any advantage over to the McLarens by not tripping over each other during the race.

Can Ferrari repeat their Australian GP heroics at the 2024 Japanese GP?

Ferrari have considerably reduced the gap they had to Red Bull last year. The SF-24 seems to be a very well-developed car that according to reports is an evolutionary concept.

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During practice, Red Bull’s disadvantage was apparent as they suffered from front graining and understeer. This translated during the race as well as Sergio Perez, the lone RB20 on track after Verstappen’s DNF, lapped on an average five tenths slower than the Ferraris.

That being said, it could be a circuit-specific problem for Red Bull, and the Ferrari is still quite some margin behind the Milton-Keynes-based team on pure pace. With the Japanese GP up next, the Suzuka International Circuit has been historically a track where Red Bull have performed exceptionally well.