During their first attempt at the final round of Q3 in qualifying for the 2022 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix, Ferrari mistakenly fitted a set of new soft tires to Charles Leclerc’s car. The Italian team had planned to send out on used tires before going out on the last lap in the final seconds on the fresher compound, which would have allowed them to fight for a better position.
The Monegasque asked on the radio about the choice of tires, and the team replied: “I’m sorry, it was a mistake.” That was the explanation to a driver who could not go beyond fourth position, more than eight tenths from the record of his main rival for the title, Max Verstappen.
“I think there was a communication failure, it wasn’t a big deal,” Leclerc said after Saturday’s session. “But obviously I brought it up because I was a little surprised. It doesn’t change a thing for the rest of the weekend.”
Asked by Motorsport.com if he had any further frustrations over another Ferrari failure, Leclerc replied: “No.”
The 24-year-old will start the race from 16th on the grid after serving a penalty for changing various components on his 066/7 power unit, just behind the Dutchman, who also received the same penalty.
Max Verstappen also failed to complete his final lap in Q3 and finished nearly seven tenths ahead of the pack, proving his advantage at Spa-Francorchamps. Leclerc felt that Red Bull had been “extremely strong” over the weekend in Belgium with a pace that was a “surprise” because he thought they would be closer in qualifying.
“They have found something that is quite impressive,” said Monaco. “It’s a big gap, so I hope Zandvoort [next race] will change, but first we have tomorrow’s appointment, where we seem to be a bit more competitive. We’ll see how it goes.”
Mercedes driver George Russell pointed out that the Red Bull driver could be fighting for victory despite starting from 15th place, and even Verstappen himself said he would be “disappointed” if he did not get on the podium with that fast car. .
“I’ll also be disappointed if I don’t get on the podium again, but considering he’s with me, if he has today’s pace, that’s going to be very difficult for me,” Leclerc said. “But you never know. Good first stint, clean race and I’m sure we can get back to the front.”
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