Leclerc took his second pole position in a row under similar bizarre circumstances as at the Monaco Grand Prix Q3 last month, where he crashed during the last few runs of this session.
This time in Azerbaijan it was Yuki Tsunoda who broke into the guardrails at Turn 3 – and Carlos Sainz Jr., who also pulled away and hit the wall in the runoff beyond the 90-degree left at the end of Sector 1 on the back straight – which stopped all drivers from improving their final flying laps in qualifying.
As in Monaco, Leclerc was ahead of the game after the opening rounds, which in view of the circumstances turned out to be decisive.
Speaking in the paddock after qualifying in his hometown, Leclerc felt “pretty crappy” about the damage that would stop him at the end of this race, while this time he said he felt “a lot better”.
“Still not as good as I would feel in a normal pole position, because of course the red flag was there at the end,” he explained after Autosport asked him to compare the two situations after qualifying.
“But overall I don’t have the feeling that we stole this pole position.
“I have the feeling that in the second lap of Q3 we had the pace anyway to take pole position, where everyone ended their laps. [I’m] very happy with today. “
Leclerc benefited from Lewis Hamilton, who finished second when the Mercedes driver completed a second preparatory lap before his only attempt to fly in Q3.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF21
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
When asked how happy he was to catch Hamilton and get the towing, Leclerc replied, “Yes, definitely.
“I mean, it looked positive anyway. I think without the tow we would have been close, but that helped us a bit.
“I saw Lewis doing a prep lap so I was trying to more or less anticipate the gap I would need to give me the drag when he starts his lap.
“And I got it right. A bit of luck, a bit of thought behind it, but probably a bit more luck. “
After climbing off his SF21 in Parc Ferme after Q3 was canceled, Leclerc described the lap that became pole time as “pretty shit” due to mistakes he believed he had made.
He explained what had happened and said: “[In Turns] 4/5/6 I just took a few snapshots in the very strong wind and misjudged myself a little.
“[I] Lost the rear in the entry of Turn 4 and then Turns 6 and 7, the rear tires were not in good condition. But yes, in the end it was still a decent round. “
Leclerc goes into Sunday’s race on a track where he won the Formula 2 road twice in 2017 (lost the sprint race due to a controversial yellow flag violation and second in the final result), believes Leclerc, “it will be very difficult” first place to keep”.
He added: “Here in Baku it is very easy to overtake so yes, it will be difficult.”
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