Leclerc thought he "lost the car" during pole-setting lap in Singapore
F1 News
- Nicolás Quarles van Ufford
After his third pole position on the spin, Ferrari starlet Charles Leclerc admitted he thought he lost the car underneath him at times during his pole-setting lap, as the Monegasque had to give it everything to beat both Lewis Hamilton as well as teammate Sebastian Vettel to the quickest time.
After suffering gearbox problems on Friday in FP1, it looked like it could have become a complicated weekend for Leclerc. However, the two-time Grand Prix winner already was the quickest man in Q2 before repeating the feat in the final shoot-out.
After the first run, he was second as Vettel had put in a mega lap, but the youngster responded with a spectacular lap of his own when it mattered most, underlining his fine form since the summer break.
Speaking on the grid after the fact, Leclerc had a massive smile on his face as he knew the pole position came as a bit of a surprise on a track that typically doesn't suit Ferrari at all.
"It was a very good lap, there were some moments when I thought I had lost the car," the five-time pole-sitter admitted.
"I would like to thank the team so much for what they've done. The team has done an amazing job and I'm extremely happy to be on pole.
"We had a very tough Friday, yesterday was not my day, but I worked hard in the car and it paid off today."