Leclerc claimed his third profession F1 pole in Monaco after edging out McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in Q3 in Monte-Carlo, having topped FP2 and FP3 on his dwelling streets.
He additionally completed fifth in FP1, a session wherein Mercedes led the way in which.
Autosport understands the Silver Arrows determined to finish its primary Friday qualifying simulation efforts in FP1 because of a threat of rain that by no means arrived in FP2.
Mercedes subsequently handed first follow pacesetter Lewis Hamilton and George Russell new comfortable tyres in FP1 and, together with the McLaren drivers, solely pushed on used softs in FP2.
There, Leclerc led the way in which with Friday’s finest time, and he continued that high quality kind by main FP3 on Saturday forward of Pink Bull’s Max Verstappen.
Leclerc mentioned his early Monaco weekend kind subsequently elevated the strain on topping qualifying at an occasion the place grid place usually interprets into race outcomes.
“In FP1, sure,” he replied within the post-qualifying press convention when requested if felt he like a pole contender from the primary Friday follow laps.
“I choose to have FP2/FP3 as constructive because it was. However when you’ve such a great FP2/FP3 and in addition FP1, you go into quali understanding that you have the whole lot to lose and in the event you do not take pole place that you just look fully silly.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24
Photograph by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
“The strain was nonetheless on quite a bit, however we managed to drag it off, which was very nice.”
Leclerc additionally revealed {that a} post-FP3 “change of engine on the final minute” was not “making me any extra calm” and felt he was “a bit tense going into qualifying”.
“There was a difficulty with my engine [after FP3] and there was a swap on the final minute,” he mentioned of the state of affairs that evoked reminiscences of his 2021 driveshaft DNS after his late Q3 crash right here.
“Thankfully for me, there wasn’t any penalties on my weekend.”
In qualifying, Leclerc reported an odd pedal motion on his group radio throughout his first laps in Q3, however after climbing from his SF-24 he clarified “after, that the sensation was high quality”.
Regardless of having led a lot in follow, Leclerc additionally wanted a collection of mid-qualifying settings adjustments to enhance from a “difficult” Q1 and Q2, the place he was solely fifth and fourth respectively.
“[In Q1], I took that sponsor’s sticker [from the wall at the second part of the Swimming Pool] on a lap that was fairly vital at the moment, which slowed us down fairly a bit,” he defined.
“Then we pitted, we took off the sponsor banner from the entrance wing, we went once more. So, that was already fairly difficult as a result of in qualifying in Monaco you simply wish to be out and do regular laps.
High three Qualifiers Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Crew, pole man Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari, Carlos Sainz, Scuderia Ferrari
Photograph by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
“I used to be simply praying for no yellow flags or crimson flags after that. Fortunately for me it was OK. Then Q2 we struggled extra with the stability of the automotive – I could not discover the appropriate feeling.
“However then in Q3 we did some modifications – particularly with the entrance wing and the [steering wheel] instruments and my driving.
“And I discovered the tempo once more, so I used to be a little bit bit happier in Q3. However the feeling was for some purpose a bit higher in FP2/FP3.”