Charles Leclerc has explained why he slowed at the end of his final Q3 lap in Belgian Grand Prix qualifying, after a yellow flag near the Spa-Francorchamps pit entry created confusion for the Ferrari driver.
Charles Leclerc will start Sunday’s race fourth, alongside George Russell on the second row. However, the Monegasque driver was frustrated by the late yellow flag, which was shown because Isack Hadjar’s car had been stopped in the pit lane for routine checks by FIA officials.
Charles Leclerc explains Spa yellow flag decision
The unusual situation saw the marshal signalling a potential danger in the pit lane, but Charles Leclerc could not be certain from his position that the warning did not apply to the final corner. Rather than risk a possible penalty, the Ferrari driver chose to lift.
Speaking to Sky Italia, Charles Leclerc said: “I’m a little angry about the final corner. It had been discussed in the briefing that there would be a yellow flag there for the pit entry, but we didn’t know exactly where it would be. It looked very much in the middle to me. I came out of Turn 18 and the only thing I could see was the yellow flag, so not to take any risks I lifted and lost what I lost. I was four or five hundredths ahead.”
The incident came after Ferrari had faced a difficult weekend at Spa, where energy deployment and straight-line efficiency have been prominent themes. The challenge was heightened by the FIA’s revised MGU-K energy rules for the Belgian GP, which have added another layer to a demanding qualifying session.
Charles Leclerc assesses Ferrari’s Spa race prospects
Charles Leclerc also offered a frank assessment of Ferrari’s performance level at Spa-Francorchamps. He acknowledged that a front-row start would have been an excellent outcome at a circuit where he believes Mercedes holds a clear advantage over the SF-26.
“A front row would have been very good at this track. We know that Mercedes have a much better car here than ours. With this straight, it’s not so bad to start a little further back. In general, we had problems this weekend, especially in FP3, when I got much worse. We tried something and changed things for qualifying, but nothing related to the driving.
“At a track like this, you have to get on the throttle as late as possible, so there was always something to improve in the driving. We did solve one specific problem, but the gap was too big.”
Ferrari had arrived at the Belgian GP aware that Spa would present a particular test, with Charles Leclerc having already outlined the team’s realistic expectations for the Spa-Francorchamps weekend.
Charles Leclerc will line up fourth on the grid, behind pole-sitter Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen, and alongside George Russell. Despite the qualifying frustration, the Ferrari driver is well placed to target a strong result from the second row in a race where strategy and energy management may prove decisive.
Leave a Reply