Charles Leclerc is still chasing his first win of the season, but a P3 in Qualifying has boosted optimism for the F1 São Paulo GP. Ferrari sits third in the constructors’ standings, thanks largely to Leclerc’s form, while his teammate Lewis Hamilton continues to search for a podium with only four races remaining. After finishing P2 in Mexico, the pressure is on Leclerc to keep the momentum going.
Hundredths make a difference
Leclerc started the Qualifying on C3 (mediums) and struggled to get out of Q1. After aborting his first lap of Q2, he finally made a monster lap into fourth on the Brazilian circuit. His final lap of Qualifying put him in provisional pole, but Kimi Antonelli and Lando Norris were slightly faster ahead of the F1 São Paulo GP.
Leclerc doesn’t take much of the credit, keeping his analysis realistic. He highlights how slight changes can make the difference in claiming a good versus a bad weekend. The Monegasque acknowledges that it was a close call and that a few hundredths make all the difference in the F1 São Paulo GP. He continues that it has been a tough weekend, fortunately with good results so far.
“I mean, very good laps in Q2 and in Q3. Everything is so close that it goes from being a disaster of a weekend to a really good weekend in a matter of a few hundredths. So, yeah, I’m happy I could put everything together in Q2 and Q3. That was crucial for us because it was very on the limit. And then P3, I’m satisfied with that. It’s been a difficult weekend for us.”
A difficult weekend
The Ferrari driver continues to emphasise the magnitude that small changes in speed can make in F1, especially at Interlagos. He attributes his close call in Q1 to the tough conditions of both the weather and the track at the F1 São Paulo GP. He does mention that his team did everything perfectly and is pleased about that.
“I don’t want to over-exaggerate the turnaround that we’ve had, because we’re only speaking about a tenth and a half maybe. But the thing is that this weekend, a tenth and a half means out of Q1 or inside Q3.
“I think where we did a really good job is by executing everything perfectly from Q1 to Q3, because we knew that we were… I mean, it’s been a very difficult weekend since FP1, and we knew that we would struggle to get to Q2 and then Q3. But we did everything perfect. So I’m very happy about that.
The Monegasque is well aware that the weekend didn’t start off positively and says that the changes made, after the Sprint, helped in their step forward. Both Leclerc and Hamilton struggled in the early parts of the weekend. The expectation was set that this would be another tough weekend for Ferrari. Leclerc feels satisfied that their work has paid off ahead of the F1 São Paulo GP.
“We changed the car a little bit from this morning, and that helped us to do a step forward as well. So yeah, altogether, to start P3 — I think we should be really satisfied with that because I don’t think anybody of us expected that after such a difficult beginning of the weekend.”
A streak of strong performances
Leclerc has been improving in the latter half of the season. This is his third consecutive top-three start, and the Tifosi are wondering if they’ve finally got it right.
When asked about getting consistency with the car, Leclerc says he felt it more in Austin and Mexico. He continues to emphasise how tough the weekend has been and that this P3 start is hiding the struggles. The Ferrari driver is happy with the performance of the car when he was able to get a clear lap ahead of the F1 São Paulo GP.
“I felt it in Austin and Mexico. Maybe this weekend a little bit less. This weekend has been a very, very challenging weekend, and I think that hides a little bit the struggles that we’ve had this weekend. But in race pace, we seem to be pretty strong. We were stuck behind Fernando, but I think the pace was pretty good on the one lap I had in clear air. So I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
A potential podium at Interlagos
Leclerc is not willing to get his hopes up. He mentions that he has felt more comfortable with previous cars. Staying in the top three after the start of the F1 São Paulo GP is definitely his goal, but he remains neutral, saying that a podium would help.
“I’ve had years where the car felt a little bit better than this year. But we’re starting in a good position, so yeah, if we manage to stay P3 or P2 or P1 after the start, then that will help us.”
Advice for the rookie
Leclerc qualified behind rookie, Kimi Antonelli, ahead of the F1 São Paulo GP. In terms of advice for him, the Ferrari driver agreed with Lando Norris that being a good driver is knowing yourself best. He continues that using your strengths and weaknesses strategically is the way to go. Ultimately, he was quite humble in pointing out that the rookie placed ahead of him. He jokingly turns the tables.
“Yeah, I mean, nothing to add. I agree 100% with Lando. I think everybody has their weaknesses, their strengths, and you’ve got to work around them. Be honest with yourself. But if anything today, I think it’s Kimi who has to give me advice, because he will be starting in front of me tomorrow. So, not much to add.”
