Charles Leclerc secured a solid front-row start at the Austrian Grand Prix, spotting several encouraging signs despite the five-tenths gap to Lando Norris. It’s a result that boosts morale for Ferrari, who worked to bring their new aero package to Austria, hoping to find the pace to at least put some pressure on McLaren in the race.
Leclerc showed a half-smile as he faced the media after qualifying P2—an excellent result that exceeded expectations, helped in part by Oscar Piastri being unable to complete his second attempt. But, as often happens in F1, being in the right place at the right time is crucial.
On one hand, Leclerc was clearly pleased with Ferrari’s front-row start—one that reflects the team’s hard work in bringing an upgraded aerodynamic package to Austria to address key weaknesses from earlier in the season. While no one expected a miracle, some progress was hoped for—and signs of that have begun to emerge.
However, the enthusiasm was tempered by the notable gap to pole. Half a second is a significant deficit, especially at a short circuit like the Red Bull Ring. Although the gap was slightly smaller than the six-tenths seen on Friday, Leclerc doesn’t think it tells the whole story.
“I look at both sides: the right side of my face is smiling, the left side not so much. It’s positive because it’s been a while since we started from the front row,” Charles Leclerc told Sky Sport F1 after qualifying.
“Monaco is too unique to compare, so it was hard to think we’d manage it on a more traditional circuit. But we did it today, so I’m happy. Of course, the gap is big. Lando probably had a fantastic lap, but I think the real difference between our cars is more like three and a half or four tenths.”
“We were pretty consistent in our gap. Maybe today others were more inconsistent, but we did a solid job as a team. We worked hard on the car yesterday, and I’m pleased with what we achieved. We also know that our car usually performs better on Sundays than on Saturdays.”
The challenge, however, lies in the fact that Ferrari lost time all around the lap, with the deficit increasing progressively. There’s no single weak spot, which makes it harder to identify one area of the setup to adjust. It remains clear that Ferrari continues to struggle with extracting maximum performance from the tyres—a recurring issue this season.
High temperatures further widen the gaps, favoring teams that can keep their tyres in the optimal operating window and maintain grip throughout the lap. According to data, Charles Leclerc faced the same entry issues into Turn 1 seen on Friday, but most of the time was lost in the middle sector.
At the braking zone for Turn 3—where he already struggled with brake balance in FP3—and through Turn 4, where understeer hurt performance, Charles Leclerc lost almost three-tenths. More time was shed in Turn 6 and in the fast chicane at Turns 7 and 8, where McLaren could capitalize on superior downforce and tyre management.
Despite the gap to Norris, Leclerc sees reasons to be optimistic. The new floor delivered the expected gains in the data, and in a tightly packed field where hundredths matter, every bit helps—especially in securing second place over Piastri, while Ferrari’s advantage over Mercedes and Red Bull appeared solid.
“If we take Lando out of the equation, the gaps are small. The new floor definitely did its job—it helped us reach the front row, and the team did a great job. As I said before the weekend, I was quite confident it was the right direction, but there’s always that question mark about how it’ll perform on track. This time, the data matched, so I’m happy.”
“The road is still long, and we have to keep working because the gap is still there. But starting on the front row is good—not just for me, even though I’m only satisfied with first—but for the whole team. It’s been a tough season, especially in qualifying. At least tomorrow we’re starting ahead, and we’ll see from there.”
Last year, Max Verstappen outqualified McLaren by four-tenths in Austria, but Lando Norris still managed to put him under pressure in the race—right up until their late-race contact. This year the gap is five-tenths, but Leclerc remains eager to fight, even though McLaren showed stronger race pace on Friday.
“I believe in it. The gap is big, we know that. But our car performs better in the race. If we can stay close, we might be able to pressure them into making mistakes.”
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