F1
Leclerc, 21 thousandths from pole: “It was very, very close! »
Leclerc missed 21 thousandths of a second to take pole at Zandvoort! © Antonin Vincent / DPPI
So close and yet so far! Charles Leclerc could have played spoilsport at Zandvoort and taken pole position on the grounds of Max Verstappen, but the Batavian beat him to the post! For 21 thousandths of a second, the pilot Ferrari had to lose to the reigning world champion and will start 2nd on the grid on Sunday, for the Dutch Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen king of home qualifying 🔝
🇳🇱 The Dutchman is ahead of Charles Leclerc by 2 hundredths and Carlos Sainz !
😬 Sergio Perez misses his last turn and spoils his chances and that of the Mercedes#DutchGP 🇳🇱 #F1 | ▶️ https://t.co/t7uFs3yVeh pic.twitter.com/gfrC3frmJN
— CANAL+ F1® (@CanalplusF1) September 3, 2022
“It’s very, very tight! Max [Verstappen] had a great lap at the end, exclaimed Charles Leclerc at the end of qualifying. The car got better and better throughout qualifying. At first I was a little scared because Max was much faster than us on worn tires. In Q3, the car was doing better and I managed to do this lap which was good enough for 2nd place. Tomorrow is the race and we are going to give it our all. »
“We just need to get off to a good start” believes Leclerc
At the top of the Q3 standings after the first attempt, Leclerc believed that he had his 8th pole of the season. This was without counting on the passion of the Dutchman, carried by his audience. The Monegasque gave up first place by 21 thousandths, having lost a little ground in the 2nd sector. Despite this defeat against Verstappen, the Scuderia driver does not give up and already has the lead in the Grand Prix.
“We are much stronger here compared to last weekend, which is good to see. For tomorrow [Sunday], I think our race pace is pretty good, it's going to be tight with the Red Bull. We just need to get a good start and then we'll see." declared the one who will go to the front line tomorrow. Leclerc will be aiming for a first podium since the Austrian Grand Prix, where he won (on Red Bull grounds…) ahead of Max Verstappen, starting second. A sign of the race to come? Answer Sunday at 15 p.m.!
ALSO READ > Max Verstappen on pole at home ahead of the Ferraris
Dorian Grangier
A young journalist nostalgic for the motorsport of yesteryear. Raised on the exploits of Sébastien Loeb and Fernando Alonso.
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Olivier Magnière
03/09/2022 at 05:45 a.m.
What if Leclerc traded a pole for a victory tomorrow? History of reversing the trend!