Motorsports
Formula 1, Leclerc: “We were surprised by our speed”
Charles Leclerc said his second pole position in three games this year – and even with a difference of 3 tenths to Ferstappen – was somewhat unexpected and claimed he expects Red Bull to be quicker at tomorrow’s Australian GP.
Ferrari’s Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc set the fastest lap in the effort of both pioneers in the third round of qualifying tests before and after Fernando Alonso’s accident. It was something he said he wasn’t expecting after yesterday’s “confused” Scuderia free tests at the Melbourne circuit.
Following Scuderia’s first position in Melbourne since 2007 and Kimi Raikkonen, Leclerc said: “It feels good [της πολ ποζίσιον], especially as I’ve always struggled as a driver at this track in the past. I don’t know, it probably doesn’t suit me at all.
“We worked very hard these three days. It was a bit confusing for me in the three free trials. I did some rounds but never managed to compose a good one. “So I feel great.” Added Monegasque.
“The car feels good, but this red bull was very fast in the second tests, in the laps. So we were surprised by our speed in the ranking tests. “Anything is possible tomorrow, we just have to get off to a good start and maybe we can keep that first place.”
However, things did not go so well for his counterpart Carlos Saint. The Spaniard didn’t have time to complete his first lap in Q3 for a few meters due to the red flag for Alonso’s accident. And in the second attempt, a small driving error at the start left him in a poor 9th place.
Furthermore, Leclerc said he – like all drivers – had a serious vision problem at the end of today’s Melbourne qualifier due to the sunset. The problem arose due to the delay of about half an hour after the Latifi-Stroll and Alonso accidents.
“Honestly at Q2 I took big risks because I had no idea where the limits of the track were. We only speculated a bit, and given the rhythm of the three days, you more or less know that you simply have to turn “here”. So I got a darker jelly, specifically in the first part Q3 some clouds appeared which was perfect. But on the second lap, braking for the first corner was very, very difficult. “Even the darkest jelly I had wasn’t enough as it would be very dark at other parts of the track where the sun was hiding from the clouds.”closed.
Source: sport 24
Sophia Jhon is a sports journalist and author. He has worked as a news editor for Sportish and is now a sport columnist for the same publication. Alberta’s professional interests lie largely in sports news, with an emphasis on English football. He has also written articles on other sporting topics.