Charles Leclerc on Chances of Winning Azerbaijan GP: “I Hope the Pace Will Still Be There
Charles Leclerc has secured his fourth consecutive pole position for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix with a stunning lap at the end of Q3 that was three-tenths faster than the McLaren of Oscar Piastri in P2. And while he hasn’t been able to win from pole position in the last three seasons, this time around Leclerc is confident about finishing the job on Sunday in Baku.
Speaking in the media pen after the qualifying session, Leclerc mentioned how he is feeling confident about getting a win this time around. Despite crashing in FP1 earlier in the weekend, the Monegasque said that he didn’t feel like he lost any confidence.
“It hasn’t been an easy weekend, because obviously the crash in FP1, which didn’t make me lose confidence.”, Leclerc stated in his post-qualifying interview. The #16 driver recalled the last three years when he got pole in Baku and highlighted that in 2021 and 2023, he did not have the car to compete for the race win. He also added, “[In] 2022, the engine blew up when we were leading, unfortunate.”
As for his chances for finally converting his pole to win in Baku, Leclerc said, “Tomorrow I hope the pace we’ve seen all over the weekend will still be there, which is a completely different thing with high fuel, tire degradation will be a big thing. So, we need to be on top of this. If we are then hopefully we can bring the victory home.”
Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur also expressed satisfaction with Leclerc’s pole position. Vasseur emphasized that while it’s a confidence boost, the focus should be on the race where the points are earned. He also highlighted that tire management could be key due to the dirty track, and they’re unsure who their main competitor will be in the race.
However, Ferrari has the advantage of having both their cars in the top three positions for the race.
Leclerc is hoping for a strong team game in Baku
When fighting for victory in F1, having both cars in the mix compared to your competitors is always an advantage for a team. In this case, Ferrari could just wait and react to what McLaren or Red Bull do in a sort of gamble to maintain the lead of the race. And Leclerc is positive about the team making good use of this opportunity.
“First and third is where you want to start and hopefully we can play a team game tomorrow to win the race. In the past we have struggled in the race, this year we have a stronger race car so I hope that we can finally make it tomorrow”, Leclerc said.
And while the last couple of months have been about the championship battle between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, it is pertinent to note that the Monegasque is just 24 points behind Norris in third. If he were to win the race with Norris failing to reach the points-paying positions, he would overtake him in the standings.
