Charles Leclerc secured second place in Friday’s qualifying session for the upcoming Sunday race, conceding eight tenths of a second to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in Q3 on a drying track. However, Verstappen’s five-place grid penalty for exceeding the allowed number of gearboxes for the season means that Leclerc will start the race from the first position on the grid.
Leclerc recently acknowledged his struggles in mixed-weather conditions, especially with regards to finding grip on slick tires on a damp circuit. Nonetheless, his performance in Q3 served as a validation for his efforts to overcome this weakness.
“Our qualifying was pretty good, especially considering the conditions,” Leclerc remarked. “It’s always challenging to put everything together. I’ve put in a lot of work to improve in such conditions, as I wasn’t very comfortable in similar situations a few races ago. And it seems like all that hard work is paying off now.”
While Leclerc recognized that pole position was out of reach due to Verstappen’s impressive pace, he was satisfied with the outcome, considering the circumstances. He also mentioned that starting from the front of the grid provides a great advantage for the race on Sunday.
During Q2, Leclerc faced some obstacles, as Haas driver Kevin Magnussen hit the wall and damaged his car, leading to an interruption in Leclerc’s first flying lap attempt. However, Leclerc managed to handle the pressure and succeeded in the later lap.
“It was a really tricky situation. Kevin had his incident with the wall and continued driving in front of me,” Leclerc explained. “As a result, I couldn’t set a lap time early on, which put all the pressure on the last lap. Given the challenging conditions, it wasn’t easy, but fortunately, everything worked out well. So, overall, I’m happy with the outcome.”
Despite the positive result, Leclerc acknowledged that there is still work to be done to close the performance gap and challenge the Red Bull cars.
In conclusion, Leclerc’s dedication to addressing his weakness in mixed weather conditions paid off during the Spa F1 qualifying session, securing him a favorable starting position for the upcoming race. While pole position eluded him due to Verstappen’s penalty, Leclerc remains content with the outcome and is aware of the need to continue striving for improvement to challenge the front-runners in the race.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Pole position
Q: What was Charles Leclerc’s position in the Friday qualifying for the Spa F1 race?
A: Charles Leclerc secured second place in the Friday qualifying for the Spa F1 race.
Q: Why did Charles Leclerc start first on Sunday’s race?
A: Charles Leclerc started first on Sunday’s race because Max Verstappen, who originally qualified first, received a five-place grid penalty for exceeding the allowed number of gearboxes for the season.
Q: What weakness did Charles Leclerc recently admit to struggling with in mixed-weather conditions?
A: Charles Leclerc admitted to struggling with finding grip on slicks on a damp circuit in mixed-weather conditions.
Q: How did Charles Leclerc feel about his performance in the qualifying session?
A: Charles Leclerc felt satisfied with his performance in the qualifying session, especially considering the tricky mixed conditions. He believed that his hard work to address the weakness paid off.
Q: What hindered Charles Leclerc’s first flying lap attempt during Q2?
A: Charles Leclerc’s first flying lap attempt during Q2 was hindered by Haas driver Kevin Magnussen, who hit the wall and damaged his car, causing an interruption in Leclerc’s attempt.
Q: What did Charles Leclerc mention about the pressure during his final lap in Q3?
A: Charles Leclerc mentioned that the pressure was high during his final lap in Q3, especially because he couldn’t set a lap time early on due to the incident involving Kevin Magnussen. However, he managed to handle the pressure well.
Q: What did Charles Leclerc state about his starting position for the race on Sunday?
A: Charles Leclerc mentioned that he has a great starting position for the race on Sunday, considering he will be starting from the first position on the grid.
More about Pole position
- Leclerc’s second place in Friday qualifying
- Max Verstappen’s grid penalty
- Leclerc’s admission about mixed-weather conditions struggle
- Leclerc’s reaction to his qualifying performance
- Incident involving Kevin Magnussen during Q2
4 comments
leclerc’s performance in q3 wuz amazin’, he worked hard n’ it paid off, pole position baby! red bull wuz quick tho, gotta catch ’em. #excitedfortherace
omg, kevin’s crash messed up leclerc’s lap, but he kept his cool & did well. mixed conditions aint easy, but leclerc handled it, gr8 job! #TeamLeclerc
leclerc’s weakness in damp tracks c’d b tough, bt he put lotz of work, & finally reaping rewardz. starting 1st gonna b advantage on sunday! go leclerc!
charles leclerc did gud job in qualifying, got 2nd spot, but verstappen got penality so leclerc starts 1st, yay! he was struglin in mixed conditions tho, but now he did gr8. hapi for him!