'Very happy' Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc warns 'anything can happen' despite claiming Bahrain pole
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ByEurosport
Updated 19/03/2022 at 21:27 GMT
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc declared himself 'very happy' with the pole position he recorded at Saturday's Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying session, and believed it was deserved following years of hard work with little success. However, he warned that 'anything can happen' at the race proper on Sunday, and was counting on nothing.
‘We had to take the opportunity’ - Leclerc claims pole in Bahrain, Verstappen second
Charles Leclerc was ‘very happy’ with his pole position at the Bahrain Grand Prix but warned that ‘anything can happen’ in Sunday’s race.
Ferrari appear to have seized the opportunity with the car overhaul with changing regulations from the 2021 season, drawing praise from their likely peers this campaign, Red Bull and Mercedes.
It was the Monegasque who recorded the best time in Q3 on Saturday in the Middle East, and he will be joined by second-placed Max Verstappen, the current world champion.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the session, he reflected on the work that had got them to this point.
“It feels good, the last two years have been incredibly difficult for the team,” he said.
“We were quite hopeful that this new opportunity for us was an opportunity to be back in the front, and I think we have worked extremely well as a team to find ourselves back in a position to fight for better places.”
Nevertheless, he said he hoped the team would be able to improve further, including his own efforts.
“Very happy with today,” he began. “It has been a very tricky qualifying session, I wasn't completely happy with my driving but managed to do that lap in Q3.
“Of course there is [more to come], also from the driving point it’s completely different compared to last year. Testing was useful for this. I’ve tried many different styles and still need to find the perfect one. There’s hopefully much more to come from us.”
Leclerc admitted that he had expected Red Bull would be the fastest team.
“It feels quite good, we were pretty sure that Red Bull were going to be quicker than us in qualifying,” he began. “But - good surprise - it wasn’t the case. We need to finish the weekend on a high tomorrow, it’s not going to be easy.
“Tire degradation here is a thing, the increased weight. We need to focus on that and have a good race tomorrow.
“I will stay cautious. The pace is there but the race is long, anything can happen.”
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