Charles Leclerc: “Third place was the best result, McLaren is very fast” | Brazil Sprint Qualifying. Charles Leclerc’s reaction after P3 in the Brazilian Sprint Qualifying.

Brazilian Sprint Qualifying, Charles Leclerc gets the maximum

Nothing more could be done. That’s what Ferrari fans think after the Interlagos Sprint Qualifying, and it’s what Charles Leclerc also thinks (and says) after securing third place for the starting grid of the short race.

The Monegasque finished two and a half tenths off Oscar Piastri’s time for pole position and, most importantly, never gave the impression he could compete for the front row, even when he was in second position temporarily just seconds before the close of Qualifying for the sprint race. It’s logical that the Ferrari driver feels both pleased with his performance and concerned about McLaren’s superiority, which—if maintained throughout the weekend—could significantly impact the Constructors’ Championship.

Charles Leclerc’s comments

“I’m happy because we got the best result possible, but I think there was no room for improvement,” said Leclerc in his immediate comments. “McLaren was really fast today, while this weekend we are a bit behind: it will be important to score a lot of points.”

The Monegasque, who also used a slipstream from Max Verstappen in SQ3, will start right in front of the world champion. However, tomorrow’s race remains open, as the 60 minutes of free practice mixed things up: the differences in work programs did not provide meaningful clues about the long runs of the various cars.