Charles Leclerc qualified second in Jeddah, but will lose ten places to a penalty kick at the start of the race. His teammate Carlos Sainz thinks he can do better than fifth. Nevertheless, the Scuderia are optimistic about their chances for the race and expect to climb to the podium.
Charles Leclerc (2nd): “I’m happy with the lap – I rode to the limit and got a higher position than we expected. However, the opponents are strong and in the race I have a lot to do.
This weekend we have a high pace for the long distance. Although it is not easy to overtake in Jeddah, I will do my best to break through.”
Carlo Sainz (5th): “Honestly, I didn’t qualify well. In the first corners there were problems with the tires and I lost a lot of time. I rode well for the rest of the lap, but it wasn’t enough to make up the lost time in the first sector. My mistake.
However, the weekend is not over yet and we have the speed to fight for a spot on the podium. In the evening we regroup and go fight in the race again.
Frederick Vasseur, team leader: “The team qualified well. Charles showed the second fastest time and lost only tenth to Sergio Perez, but a penalty kick saw him start in twelfth. Carlos showed the fifth result. We have a good pace, but we need to take a step forward.
It is a pity that Carlos had to fit a second set of soft tires at the end of the second part of qualifying – this left him with only one set of tires for the final and made a small mistake, which probably cost him his place in the start on the front row. However, Carlos has good pace and starts fourth, which offers good opportunities for him.
On Friday we had good pace over the long distance and little tire wear, also due to the fact that the track is very grippy, which is very different from the track in Bahrain.
The race can be strange – in theory it’s easy to overtake here, but in reality anyone can get on a “DRS train” that can affect the course of the race. We have to find good positions on the track and choose the right time to make pit stops.”
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
