Button predicts Leclerc will lead Australian Grand Prix after Turn 1 start

2009 world champion Jenson Button has predicted Charles Leclerc will storm from fourth on the grid to first on the opening lap of the Australian Grand Prix, such is Ferrari’s advantage off the line.

This weekend’s Melbourne race has given Formula 1 its first look at how the new regulations play out, and who has what advantage and where.

Jenson Button predicts Charles Leclerc could lead after Australian Grand Prix start

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Mercedes has a clear-cut pace advantage in qualifying, with George Russell securing pole position by almost eight-tenths of a second over the nearest non-Mercedes driver, Isack Hadjar in third place.

As for Ferrari, Leclerc was fourth fastest, 0.809s down, while Lewis Hamilton was seventh, a further tenth off the pace.

The Scuderia, though, could be the team to beat off the line after incredible practice starts during pre-season testing and again in Melbourne.

It has Button predict Mercedes may not remain 1-2 for very long.

“The start is going to be exciting,” he told Sky Sports. “They could be five abreast into Turn One.

“Looking at testing, [Ferrari] had a big advantage off the line. But it’s not just [about] the start, it’s the pit stops too.

“I reckon Ferrari, Charles Leclerc will be P1 at the start of the race!”

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George Russell agrees, telling F1TV in the build-up to the race: “I think Ferrari can start anywhere in the top 10 and they’ll probably be leading by Turn 1 so we need to keep our eyes out for them. They’re a rocket off the line.”

Leclerc, however, has downplayed Ferrari’s reputation for lightning starts, adamant that while it may be easier for Ferrari to find the ideal configuration, Mercedes isn’t far behind.

“I think there is a wrong expectation about the starts,” he told PlanetF1.com and other accredited media in Melbourne.

“I think our engine is a bit easier to have a good start. But I think that if Mercedes does everything optimised, there won’t be that much of a difference.

“But it surely will be a little bit trickier for them to get in the right window.”

Leclerc has Isack Hadjar between himself and the Mercedes teammates, the Red Bull driver finishing qualifying 0.024s faster than the Ferrari’s Monegasque star.

And the new Red Bull signing is determined to keep Leclerc behind him at the start.

Asked if he could challenge Mercedes with a good start, Hadjar replied: “Yeah, take a better start, but then it’s going to be… they’re just too fast at the moment.

“So, I want to keep my position. A second podium could be good.

He added: “I think after Turn 1, if we keep our position then we have a good race, I think. But yeah, we simply don’t have the pace to win.”

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