The Monagasque driver qualified third for Sunday’s race, while his teammate Carlos Sainz qualified first, putting the team in a strong position to win their first race since the 2022 Austrian GP.
However, there was a lot of traffic gathered at turns 16-19 in the last sector of the circuit during the qualifying session, as vehicles scrambled for the best position before starting a flying lap.
This has resulted in steward investigations into a number of drivers, including Max Verstappen, for impeding. Leclerc was irritated with several of his teammates for breaking what he refers to as a ‘gentlemen’s agreement.’
“I struggle with the last sector, but it’s nothing new,” he said to Danika Patrick after qualifying.
“I’ve been struggling with this car all season.” I always need to be forceful, and I sometimes push too far. At the same time, we need to look at the larger picture, and we’re in a better situation than, say, Zandvoort.
“The third section is now like a forest. We always had this ‘gentleman understanding’ among drivers not to overtake in the last sector. Unfortunately, a few drivers did not adhere to that regulation this season, resulting in turmoil at some time because no one is adhering to that ‘deal’ anymore.”
Ferrari appeared to have the pace all weekend to challenge the dominant Red Bull, particularly over one lap.
Few expected Mercedes and McLaren to challenge them for pole, and that Red Bull would be entirely out of the picture.
Verstappen and teammate Sergio Perez both failed to make it out of Q2, leaving the top slot up for grabs among three other teams.
Sainz won his second consecutive pole position, but Leclerc will undoubtedly feel like he’s in contention for victory tomorrow, especially with Verstappen and Perez facing so much traffic.
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