Charles Leclerc says he “released the brakes and prayed it was okay” on the exit of Turn 2 during his final lap of qualifying on Saturday.
Leclerc took pole position for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, his sixth of the 2022 Formula 1 season and his fourth in a row.
The Ferrari driver bested both Red Bull drivers to the top spot, with Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen set to line up in second and third respectively on Sunday.
Speaking about his pole lap, Leclerc says he took a risk at Turn 2 after struggling at the corner throughout the session.
“It didn’t feel like I left much on the table,” he said. “Turn 2 I was losing all the time and on my final lap I just released the brakes and prayed that it was okay.
“I think it was a pretty close one there. And then the last corner was a bit trickier but I think it was more wind-related. So overall, I was very happy with the lap.
“You can feel you’re on the limit and you know that whatever mistake you are doing at that time is just a wall. So the adrenaline is running high and it’s great to be on pole.”
Despite his run of four consecutive pole positions, Leclerc hasn’t taken a race victory since the third round of the year in Australia.
Last month, the Monegasque driver lost the lead of the Drivers’ Championship after retiring from the Spanish Grand Prix, while Red Bull’s Verstappen went on to take victory and the command of the standings.
Leclerc says he is aiming to finish the job on Saturday afternoon in Baku and re-energise his title challenge.
“I just want to finish the job [on Sunday],” he said. “The past two weekends I’ve already said that on the Saturday and it didn’t happen on the Sunday.
“So we need to make it… I mean, we don’t need to make it work but it will be very nice if we’ll make it work tomorrow.
“Let’s see how it goes in the first few laps, and then I will try to keep the lead.”
