Charles Leclerc takes blame for chronic Q3 problem

Charles Leclerc

Leclerc takes blame for chronic Q3 problem

P3 wasn't good enough for Charles.

Matthew Scott

Sunday 9 June 2019 12:48

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Charles Leclerc shouldered the blame for failing to get close to Ferrari teammate Sebastian Vettel in Canadian Grand Prix qualifying, highlighting an ongoing struggle to hit peak form in Q3 as crucial in his inability to secure a front-row lockout for the Scuderia.

As Ferrari go in search of their first win of 2019 with Vettel on pole and Leclerc starting just behind him in third, Lewis Hamilton looms as a likely disrupter alongside the German on the front row.

Leclerc was six tenths down on Vettel's lap time in the final segment of qualifying, having largely matched the German stride for stride through the opening two sessions.

Leclerc has only out-qualified Vettel once this season, when he took pole position in Bahrian.

And the 21-year-old said falling away in similar circumstances to Montreal is not uncommon for him this season.

"This is a point I need to work on, to try to set up the car, especially for Q3," he said.

Starting P3 tomorrow. Congratulations to Seb and to the whole team for the pole position. Tomorrow is the race and I'll give it all. pic.twitter.com/FCkhqEwCXT
— Charles Leclerc (@Charles_Leclerc) June 8, 2019

"In Q1, the car felt quite good – then Q2 a bit worse and then Q3 it slipped away and I also did some mistakes.

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"So, yeah, I need to understand from where it comes to just try to anticipate the track evolution and have the car at its best in Q3. But yeah, it's my fault and I need to work on that to make it better."

Asked if he had been affected by a 25-minute red flag period after Kevin Magnusson crashed, Leclerc refused to use it as an excuse.

"This, I guess, is the same for everyone at the end," he said. "But no, it didn't affect me. We just had to wait, so we had a bit more time to look at data and then we went back on track."