Charles Leclerc takes aim at Max Verstappen after Austin qualifying: “He can’t complain if he does the same”. Charles Leclerc fires subtle dig at Verstappen after Austin qualifying traffic incident.

Charles Leclerc will start from third on the grid for the 2025 United States Grand Prix. The Ferrari driver ended qualifying behind Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, confirming the positive feeling already seen during Friday’s Sprint session. It was a solid performance that hinted at encouraging progress for the SF-25, although the Monegasque driver admitted there were some regrets about a key moment that compromised his final lap.

Speaking to Sky shortly after the qualifying session at COTA, Charles Leclerc explained what went wrong during his last attempt in Q3, when he found himself caught in traffic behind Max Verstappen in the second sector.

Charles Leclerc’s subtle jab at Max Verstappen

“The only thing I’m a bit frustrated about is the traffic with Max in the second sector,” said Charles Leclerc. “Max can’t complain in Singapore about Norris if he does the same thing somewhere else. We talked about it — it wasn’t on purpose — but with these cars, it doesn’t take much to lose time, and in that part of the track, I paid a high price for it. I think second place was within reach, maybe not pole, but we could have been much closer.”

Despite that small setback, Charles Leclerc said he was satisfied with the team’s progress, particularly regarding balance and tire management. “We’ve made important steps forward, working gradually and trying small changes that worked well today,” he explained.

Looking ahead to Sunday’s race, the Monegasque sounded confident about Ferrari’s long-run pace. “We know our car performs well in race conditions and that we’ve made progress. The wind helped us a bit today, but tomorrow will be a different story. We’ll need to stay sharp and try to keep close to the McLarens and Verstappen.” – the 28-year-old driver pointe out.

Charles Leclerc also made it clear that he plans to be aggressive at the start. “At the start, I’ll be aggressive. I have nothing to lose, and I want to try to win at least one race before the end of the year. It’s not an easy moment for Ferrari, but starting third means everything is still possible.”

The number 16 Ferrari driver closed an encouraging day for the Scuderia with the clear goal of returning to the podium and reigniting the team’s ambitions in the final part of the season. Everything will depend on race pace and tire management at Austin’s unpredictable Circuit of the Americas on Sunday.