On Saturday, Charles Leclerc failed to secure the pole position in ‘his’ Monaco. The top spot went to Lando Norris, who set a new lap record on the historic street circuit. Despite clocking the fastest time in all three practice sessions, Leclerc admitted he had no answer to the McLaren of his British rival.
“You always want to do more,” Charles Leclerc sighed after the Monaco qualifying session, “but in the end, there was just no more to give today. My first fast lap in Q3 was already quite poor, so that also erodes your confidence for the second lap. It is what it is.” The Monegasque driver ranked behind Lando Norris, but ahead of Oscar Piastri, who recorded the third-fastest time. Teammate Lewis Hamilton is in fourth place.
“It is what it is,” concluded Leclerc, who celebrated his first home victory in Monaco last year. “It’s frustrating, especially since we simply don’t have a car that can win races this year. The car is very good on this circuit, but it’s going to be tough to win from the second spot. I love street circuits and I love going all-in and taking risks in qualifying. Sometimes it pays off, sometimes it doesn’t. That being said, today would have been challenging regardless.”
