It will be a difficult Formula 1 2022 Canadian Grand Prix for Charles Leclerc, as he will have to start from the back of the grid as a result of a penalty received for replacing the entire power unit.
The Monegasque, who has just retired in two of the last three races (Spain and Azerbaijan) when he was the leader due to engine reliability problems, will try to come back from 19th place, with Yuki Tsunoda being the only driver who will start behind the.
Despite the penalty, Leclerc decided to go out on track during Q1 in the qualifying session. A choice that from the outside seemed risky given the difficult weather conditions of the circuit, with abundant water on the asphalt.
At the end of said round, it was Leclerc himself who explained why Ferrari, after consulting with the Monegasque, had decided to go out and shoot in Q1.
“Finishing ahead of Tsunoda would have allowed us to get ahead of him tomorrow and on a weekend like this we have to take every opportunity. In any case, it was good to get a few laps in but I didn’t risk damaging the car. I wanted trying to get information and everything went well.

Charles Leclerc, at the wheel of his Ferrari F1-75
On a rapidly evolving track, Leclerc admitted he had a good feeling behind the wheel of his F1-75, underlining the improvement made by Ferrari in the wet compared to previous seasons.
“The conditions were quite difficult, but the feeling was good. This is a positive aspect because in the last two years we have had a lot of difficulties with the rain, whereas today all the feelings have been positive.”
With Saturday coming to an end early, it’s time to think about Sunday for Leclerc. The return to the podium seems complicated, but for the Monegasque driver the main objective will be to accumulate as many points as possible.
“Obviously the points will be important. It will not be easy to overtake here and it will not be an easy race. Anyway, we had to make a decision and we had to install the new engine on this track. We will try to get the maximum tomorrow and I will give it my all.” , he concluded.