In qualifying for the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc was the protagonist of an incredible and unexpected pole position at the wheel of the Ferrari SF21, thus scoring his second consecutive pole in the 2021 Formula 1 season. At his side, in second position Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes.
A very interesting qualifying session which pointed to a surprising outcome for the Maranello team, such as a podium or a victory, although in the long runs seen in free practice, Ferrari was a bit suffering and in difficulty as compared to Red Bull and Mercedes. So it was, at the start Charles Leclerc with soft tires managed to keep the first position, but after a few laps he had to surrender to the technical superiority of the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull.
The Monegasque struggling with performance and tire management, is among the first to stop for the pit stop as the Italian side sends him bak with the hard tyre. Despite the lack of pace, Charles gave it everything, trying to capitalize on every lap of this crazy race, with the aim of reaching the finish line without taking too many risks. In this phase of the championship, Ferrari is fighting against McLaren for the third position. With two laps to go, after the standing start which followed the red flag caused by Max Verstappen’s crash, Charles Leclerc tried to overtake Pierre Gasly’s AlphaTauri for third position, without succeeding, settling for fourth position.
A fourth place is not the best for a Ferrari driver. Charles Leclerc knows this, however he tries to look at the glass half full after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix:
“Before arriving in Baku, P4 was more or less where we could expect to finish the race. The first surprise of the weekend was our pole position. A second surprise was that some of our competitors in the midfield were extremely quick today. Despite starting at the front, we knew we could well be overtaken by the cars of the two front running teams, which is what happened. After the first stop, I tried to do the best job possible. I had a lockup after the restart following the first safety car. Continuing with two flat spots was the most difficult part of the race. I really thought I wouldn’t make it to the end. Then we had the red flag, and I thought about the podium. But unfortunately, we didn’t’ make it. Seb did an incredible job – congratulations to him. The same goes for Pierre, it was a hard fight with him at the end! We will keep working and pushing in the right direction.” – Charles Leclerc explained.
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