Charles Leclerc insists “Red Bull is on another planet” despite pushing Sergio Perez to the max in qualifying for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, as he admits Ferrari are still “struggling a bit.” has” to keep up with its F1 title rivals
Charles Leclerc believes there is still a significant gap between Red Bull and the rest of the F1 paddock after Sergio Perez secured pole position for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen suffered from engine problems in qualifying after dominating earlier practice sessions and will start Sunday’s race from 15th, but Perez ensured Red Bull will start at the front of the grid.
Leclerc put in an impressive final lap in Q3 to finish just 0.15s off Perez, raising hopes that Ferrari will be ready to challenge Red Bull on Sunday.
However, the 25-year-old will face a 10-place penalty meaning he will start 12th and Leclerc has admitted it will be difficult to keep up with Perez and Verstappen this weekend.
‘Happy? Yes and no,” said Leclerc when analyzing Saturday’s qualifying.
Charles Leclerc believes Red Bull has by far the best car in the early stages of the season
Sergio Perez (centre) starts Sunday from pole after fending off Leclerc in qualifying
Max Verstappen looked good in practice but will start 15th due to engine problems
“On the one hand I think it was a very difficult weekend for us in terms of pace. But I’m very happy with my lap. I think I put everything into it. It was really on the limit.
“On the other hand, Red Bull is on another planet. And we’re having a little trouble. So we have to keep pushing. But we do that as a team.”
Leclerc was unable to finish the opening race of the season in Bahrain due to a power failure, so he was already chasing Verstappen and Perez, who finished first and second respectively, in the title race.
He has hinted that Ferrari have made some improvements over the last two weeks but is still unsure how his car compares to the rest of the F1 grid.
“The race pace looks pretty good. But it’s very difficult to compare because in FP2 everyone has a very different program,” added Leclerc.
“Well, we’ll see. It seemed to be a little bit better but it won’t be easy because I feel like everyone is very close in race pace.’
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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/formulaone/article-11877773/Charles-Leclerc-insists-Red-Bull-planet-Saudi-Arabia-GP-qualifying.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490 Charles Leclerc insists ‘Red Bull is on another planet’ after qualifying for the Saudi Arabian GP
