Charles Leclerc: I achieved the maximum possible number of points

Charles Leclerc finished third in Jeddah and reached the podium for the first time in the new season. His temporary teammate Oliver Berman finished seventh. The 18-year-old Briton became the 68th driver in Formula 1 history to score points in his debut race.

Charles Leclerc (3rd): “I had a pretty good pace, which allowed me to show the best lap in the end, but DRS also helped me.

Overall a pretty good result, but the race turned out to be a bit boring as Red Bull was too fast and my lead over the others was also quite big. Today I achieved the maximum possible number of points, which was the goal.

Compared to last year’s race in Jeddah, I feel better after the finish. I don’t know what this has to do with. Maybe because I rode at my own pace and experienced less adrenaline.

Overall, this is one of the most physically challenging courses of the season. The problem is not so much the heat as the tension on the neck. There are a lot of fast corners, but it is fun to drive.

Oliver did excellently and deserved this result. In the third training he immediately showed the pace, but in qualifying he fell just short of reaching the final.

He performed excellently today. Seventh place in his debut race after just one practice session is an impressive achievement that he can be proud of. Everyone has seen how talented he is and I am sure it is only a matter of time before he competes in Formula 1.”

Oliver Berman (7th): “I was a bit tired – from the outside it’s probably obvious that I’m not in the best shape, but the race was just great, I attacked the whole distance of the Grand Prix. I was simply amazed that the car allowed us to attack every lap, and that we were going faster and faster, it was incredible!

It was impossible to relax, especially at the end of the race, when two fast guys (Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton) overtook me, so every lap had to be driven on the limit, and this was a lot of fun. I think we did well.

They almost overtook me, but I knew I had a reserve of speed and that I could use a special engine mode if necessary. I think my last lap was the fastest. I decided to just increase the speed and see what I was capable of. But I was confident in both my abilities and the car, so I knew I could attack.”