Leclerc, a 4th position which exceeds his expectations

At fault on Friday after leaving the track in free practice, Charles Leclerc got back on track by hitting hard during qualifying this Saturday. Well recovered from his accident the day before, the pilot of the Team Ferrari put everyone in agreement by setting the 4th fastest time in the qualifying session, only ahead of Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas et Max Verstappen.

« Yes really (that exceeds his expectations), whispered Charles Leclerc at the microphone of Canal +. Especially after a Friday which ended in the wrong way, in the wall, and in a fast corner so we lose a lot of confidence with the car. Since this (SATURDAY) morning, my job was to regain confidence, to take it step by step. Little by little, I tried to push a little more. On my last lap, I went in knowing I didn't have much to lose. I went hard and gained 2/3 tenths in turn 22. I almost hit the wall again like yesterday but I managed to keep the car on the track. It was a great ride. I'm super happy with 4th place."

The first red flag #SaudiArabianGP 🔴

The condition of Charles Leclerc's car 😳

▶ https://t.co/7plkVVV12v pic.twitter.com/5Pyajxwor4

— CANAL+ F1® (@CanalplusF1) December 3, 2021

In heaven at the end of qualifying after his setbacks the day before, Charles Leclerc, however, did not hide his dissatisfaction with his car with which he suffered a lot. “ In mediums, it was very complicated, he admits. I struggled throughout Q2. If you look at my laps on board camera, I had a lot of corrections to make exactly where Carlos Sainz lost the car so it really wasn't easy. On the softs, the balance changed completely and we suffered more with the front. It was complicated to switch from one eraser to another. » The Monegasque now hopes to resolve these small technical problems before the Grand Prix in order to achieve a very good result in Saudi Arabia and consolidate the Scuderia's 3rd place among the Manufacturers.

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