Charles Leclerc has admitted the tight margins during qualifying for Formula 1‘s Sao Paulo Grand Prix were a saving grace that helped to mask Ferrari’s struggles.
Despite an overall weekend of struggles for the Maranello-based squad, Leclerc will start the Grand Prix at Interlagos from the second row alongside Oscar Piastri.
The Monegasque was able to post the third-fastest lap during Q3 on Saturday after only managing to start from eighth on the grid for the Sprint Race one day prior.
In fact, Leclerc’s fastest time was almost a tenth slower than his fastest effort in SQ3, something he marked down to the small margins separating the entire field.
“I mean, very good laps in Q2 and in Q3. Everything is so close that it goes from being a disaster of a weekend to a really good weekend in a matter of a few hundredths,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“So, yeah, I’m happy I could put everything together in Q2 and Q3. That was crucial for us because it was very on the limit.
“And then P3, I’m satisfied with that. It’s been a difficult weekend for us.”
Leclerc’s team-mate Lewis Hamilton got knocked out in Q2, having complained about rear instability owing to tricky tyre preparation parameters.
Leclerc surmised that at least on his side of the garage, at Ferrari, the execution of his runs ensured it extracted the maximum from his package.
“I don’t want to over-exaggerate the turnaround that we’ve had, because we’re only speaking about a tenth and a half maybe,” he explained.
“But the thing is that this weekend, a tenth and a half means out of Q1 or inside Q3.
“I think where we did a really good job is by executing everything perfectly from Q1 to Q3, because we knew that we were… I mean, it’s been a very difficult weekend since FP1, and we knew that we would struggle to get to Q2 and then Q3.
“But we did everything perfect. So I’m very happy about that. We changed the car a little bit from this morning, and that helped us to do a step forward as well.
“So yeah, altogether, to start P3 — I think we should be really satisfied with that because I don’t think anybody of us expected that after such a difficult beginning of the weekend.”
Ferrari pace keeps Leclerc optimistic for F1 Brazil GP
With Ferrari having lost second place in the Constructors’ Championship to Mercedes in the Sprint Race, Leclerc is aiming to minimise the damage in the Grand Prix.
But while he acknowledged the team is less competitive than previous race, Leclerc was encouraged by Ferrari’s pace in race trim during the weekend’s shorter race.
“I felt it [Ferrari’s upswing] in Austin and Mexico. Maybe this weekend a little bit less,” said Leclerc.
“This weekend has been a very, very challenging weekend, and I think that hides a little bit the struggles that we’ve had this weekend. But in race pace, we seem to be pretty strong.
“We were stuck behind Fernando [Alonso], but I think the pace was pretty good on the one lap I had in clear air. So I’m looking forward to tomorrow.
“I’ve had years where the car felt a little bit better than this year. But we’re starting in a good position, so yeah, if we manage to stay P3 or P2 or P1 after the start, then that will help us.”
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