How much did Leclerc gain thanks to Sainz's aspiration?

The first attempt was a bit messy, but the second was absolutely perfect. From the exit of the northern chicane to the entrance of the Beausset double straight, Carlos Sainz, who had nothing to play in this qualification due to his engine penalty, offered a long and powerful aspiration to his teammate Charles Leclerc to help him beat Max Verstappen. Was it decisive? Would the Monegasque have been on pole even without this precious help?

At a press conference, Max Verstappen, the beaten man of the day, admitted that he would probably still have been behind his rival without the aspiration that the latter received. "I don't think he gained three tenths just with the aspiration, admitted the Batavian, fair play. Maybe Charles can tell us himself, I don't really know. What I am sure of is that being at the limit, or looking for it, I had two difficult moments in my lap which cost me a little time. We really need to find out where this instability comes from so that we no longer have these stability problems in qualifying. »

Red Bull does not refrain from doing the same 

Questioned immediately, Charles Leclerc obviously had a slightly more precise idea. “First of all, I would like to thank Carlos for his valuable help, he said, in an atmosphere far removed from the apparent tensions of the podium of the Austrian sprint race a fortnight ago. The aspiration clearly allowed me to have a more comfortable lead over Max. Without that, it probably would have been tighter with him. I think I gained about 2 tenths, compared to what I remember from my last attempt in Q2 without the slipstream. It's quite substantial! And it was quite a helping hand! »

If Ferrari's little strategic masterstroke cost him his chance of being on pole, Verstappen, decidedly more and more handsome and classy, ​​went so far as to congratulate the Team and explained why Red Bull had not used the same tactic. “For our part, we above all tried to have the best possible qualification. It was different for them, because Sainz started at the back of the grid. So it was quite smart of them, and we don't stop ourselves from doing the same thing if we find ourselves in a similar situation. » The downside of the situation is that Charles Leclerc will probably have to fend for himself against the two Red Bulls on Sunday (15 p.m.). In the Var furnace, pneumatic degradation should play a huge role.  

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