Leclerc avoided slipstream traffic to gain Belgian pole

Charles Leclerc says his intention was to stay away from the slipstream traffic which clogged up the track in qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix, which ultimately aided him in claiming pole position,

The Monegasque driver was in excellent form in the free practice sessions and his pace translated over to qualifying as he finished fastest in Q3 to take P1 for the race on Sunday.

After initially being frustrated at the traffic, with several drivers looking to take advantage of the slipstream provided by those ahead, he decided to stay away from the pack, which enabled him to put together the fastest lap.

“It felt good. Obviously, the first sector wasn't exactly what I wanted, especially in the first corner,” he said after qualifying.

“We had to go very slow to prepare the lap because there was a lot of traffic. So, I struggled for a bit, but after that, from the second corner onwards we were very strong and it felt amazing.

“I don't really care about the slipstream. It was such a mess to prepare the tyres and the lap overall so I wanted to be alone.”

Leclerc reckons Ferrari’s race pace could have been better in practice, but is content they will be contenders for the victory tomorrow after the display in qualifying.

“We were struggling a little bit on the race pace yesterday so we need to work on that. But, looking at the race pace today we should be strong,” he added.

Sebastian Vettel finished second as Ferrari secured their first first-low lockout since Bahrain.

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