Only 0s029 behind pole position Max Verstappen, Leclerc just wants a clean run to get back to scoring better points in the sprint race in Austria
It was close, but Charles Leclerc starts second in the sprint race in Austria. Only 0s029 separated the Monegasque from pole-position Max Verstappen, set on Friday (8).
After practice, the Ferrari driver analyzed the result obtained. "I think the three were very close. Max was a bit faster, congratulations to him, but I expect an exciting sprint race."
Leclerc also pointed out that he sought to regain the pace of the car after the two long stoppages due to the accidents of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. "During the last lap, I had to fight to bring the tires back after so long in the pits."
In third place in the championship with 142 points, Charles is now looking for just one clean race so that he can move up the World Drivers' Cup leaderboard. "That's five races now where I've had a disaster next to me.
The first corner on a short circuit like the Red Bull Ring is crucial, and for that, Leclerc wants to get back to the points in Formula 1. "That's what I'm hoping for, a clean race at the weekend so that we can finally score the points we deserve," he added.
GRAND PRIME follows LIVE and INREAL TIME all the activities of the Austrian GP weekend. The sprint race is scheduled for Saturday (9th) at 11:30am (GMT-3).