Report discloses engine choice behind Ferrari triumph in Melbourne

According to reports, Ferrari used an additional 5 brake horsepower in their engine to assure victory in Australia, where Charles Leclerc extended his championship lead.

Ferrari is flying right now, and Leclerc is making the most of it, having already opened up a large lead over the rest of the pack.

With Carlos Sainz spinning out and Max Verstappen forced to retire yet again, Leclerc’s closest competitor in the Drivers’ standings after Australia is currently George Russell, who is a full 34 points behind the Monegasque.

Things are looking extremely fantastic right now, and it appears that they have the potential to push their vehicle even further if they need to, according to a report from Formu1a.uno, who claims that the Scuderia actually increased their engine power by 5bhp in Melbourne to cover whatever Red Bull could do.

It clearly worked, as Leclerc won pole on Saturday and then appeared to be in command of the race on Sunday, with Max Verstappen only threatening to grab the lead during a Safety Car period.

The assumption also has to be that we’re not yet seeing the full capabilities of the Ferrari power unit, which, when combined with the predicted vehicle improvements we’ll see this season, is likely to cause some issues for rival teams.

Ferrari certainly appears to be a cut above the others in terms of speed and dependability right now, and it will take a lot of work to catch up to them in the two title battles.