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

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

2026-03-08 15:24 Last Updated At：15:30

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — 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.”

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Victor Wembanyama misses Spurs' Game 3 victory while recovering from concussion

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama did not play Friday night in Game 3 against Portland in the teams' first-round playoff series while he continued to recover from a concussion.

Wembanyama — the league’s first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year and one of three finalists for the Most Valuable Player award — went down in the second quarter of Game 2 on Tuesday night and did not return.

Portland went on to win the game 106-103 in San Antonio to tie the series at 1-1. The Spurs then overcame Wembanyama's absence to win 120-108 on Friday night.

“Victor is not playing tonight. Obviously, there's a lot that goes into that, but he's doing well and progressing,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said before the game.

Wembanyama traveled to Portland with the Spurs on Thursday afternoon while continuing to complete the steps mandated by the league’s concussion protocol. He was listed as questionable for Friday’s game.

Johnson said he was going to keep details of Wembanyama’s condition "in-house,” except to say he’s continuing to progress. His status for Sunday's Game 4 was not known.

Wembanyama was putting up shots at the team’s shootaround Friday morning at the Moda Center. He watched from the bench in street clothes during the game, often standing to cheer on his teammates.

Luke Kornet got the start against the Trail Blazers in Wembanyama’s absence, finishing with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Players must clear a series of benchmarks before being cleared for play under the concussion protocol. The results are compared to baseline neurological evaluations players take at the start of the season.

Any extended absence by Wembanyama could be a massive blow to San Antonio, which finished with the league’s second-best record behind the versatile 7-foot-4 center from France. They were 12-6 in the regular season without him.

Wembanyama averaged 25 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and a league-best 3.1 blocks per game this season.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA