Leclerc doubts he can retain P5 in Tuscan GP race

Charles Leclerc believes Ferrari will endure a difficult Tuscan Grand Prix on Sunday, despite his eye-catching performance during qualifying at Mugello.

Leclerc ended the session in fifth place, finishing only behind the front-running teams of Mercedes and Red Bull.

The Monegasque driver’s effort in Q3 was aided by a yellow flag that was deployed following a spin for Esteban Ocon.

While most drivers had to slow while passing the stricken Renault, Leclerc had already progressed through that section, meaning he could go on to complete the lap.

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“Here we managed to put the balance right and it felt very good in the car,” Leclerc told Sky Sports F1.

“We are lacking overall performance to be able to fight with the guys in front, but the balance was good today, it gave me confidence.

“I could give my best on that quali lap. But it was tricky, the first lap in Q3 was with old tyres, so to go from old to new, it was tricky. But in the end, we made it happen.”

However, Leclerc is not expecting to stay ahead of his rivals as he believes Ferrari is lacking in race pace around the Italian circuit.

“There’s a good opportunity,” Leclerc confirmed. “But on the other hand if we look at the race pace of the other teams on Friday, they are quite a lot of cars that are stronger from us.

“It’s going to be difficult to keep them behind, but that’s my job in the car and I’ll give everything.”