The Monegasque driver recovered from a spin on his first attempt in Q3 to snatch pole position at the 2022 Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix from Max Verstappen, his main rival for the title at the moment.
His first position was confirmed when the Dutchman was unable to respond on his lap due to a DRS problem. But although Leclerc was delighted with his performance, he was aware that in recent rounds, Ferrari has lost the advantage they had at the start of the year over Red Bull due to tire degradation.
With the high temperatures expected for Sunday’s race in Barcelona, the tires will face a tough test, so the Italians need to manage the situation better than ever if they want another victory.
“I’m in a good position to start tomorrow, but we’ve had problems with the compounds in recent tests compared to Red Bull,” explained the Monegasque. “Max [Verstappen] is right behind, and if we don’t manage the tires well, we will lose.”
“So we have to get our act together and do a good job tomorrow with tire management,” said the current world leader.
Although the energy drink team has been better with the Pirellis in recent grands prix, Verstappen did not take it for granted that Leclerc would suffer again: “In the last few races, we seemed to be doing quite well with the tires, for Of course tomorrow will be very hot, and this track is difficult to overtake, so we’ll see.”
Charles Leclerc’s lap came in the midst of intense qualifying as he spun at the chicane on his first attempt leaving him dead last in Q3, which was a huge risk as he could get stuck in the middle of the pack if he didn’t managed to nail the return.
However, after making a sensational turn, the Ferrari driver praised his team for giving him an “incredible” car thanks to the improvements they have made to the Spanish Grand Prix.
“It was a very, very difficult session,” he said. “Especially in Q3, because I made a mistake on the first try, and I only had one lap, but it went very well.
“He had a little less opportunities to risk, but in the end I got it, and I’m very, very happy with the pole position. It was an incredible lap, so we are very happy,” Leclerc said.
