Charles Leclerc returned to the front of the grid at Silverstone by securing second place in qualifying for the British Grand Prix, and his efforts were rewarded with an emotional message from Ferrari race engineer Bryan Bozzi over the team radio.
Back on the front row
After lining up on the front row at the Red Bull Ring, Charles Leclerc repeated the feat at Silverstone. It marked an important response from the Ferrari driver, who had scored just four championship points across the previous three race weekends before arriving in Britain and had also been comfortably outpaced by teammate Lewis Hamilton in the Sprint earlier on Saturday.
However, Charles Leclerc found his rhythm again when it mattered most in Q3, setting the second-fastest lap behind Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The result suggested that the changes Ferrari made following the Sprint — including a radical setup adjustment — delivered the improvements the Monegasque had been searching for.
“Do you want me to tell you what we changed on the car? No, I’m not going to tell you,” Charles Leclerc joked while speaking to Canal+ after qualifying. “But it feels good to finally have at least one session where the feeling with the car is there, even if only to a certain extent.
“At this point, it naturally raises a lot of questions,” he continued. “But once again, we have to be careful because it’s only qualifying. Tomorrow we’ll need to prove in the race that everything really works. That said, the changes I made gave me a feeling with the car that I hadn’t had for a very long time. I’m happy with that, and we’ll see how things go in the race tomorrow.”
Bryan Bozzi’s praise over team radio
Charles Leclerc’s final lap in Q3 was followed by one of the most memorable radio exchanges of the session. His race engineer, Bryan Bozzi, congratulated the Ferrari driver and acknowledged the enormous effort he had put in over recent weeks to overcome what had been a particularly difficult period.
The exchange between the two unfolded as follows:
Bryan Bozzi: “That was a great qualifying session.”
Charles Leclerc: “There wasn’t much more we could have done on that lap. I think we’re heading in the right direction. Let’s keep working. Everything feels good now. Thank you.”
Bryan Bozzi: “You worked your a** off, and it was worth it!”
The heartfelt message reflected Ferrari’s appreciation for the relentless work Leclerc has put in behind the scenes. After weeks of searching for answers, the front-row start at Silverstone offered a clear sign that the Scuderia may finally be moving in the right direction.
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