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Leclerc surprised by Azerbaijan GP pole having targeted Aston Martin, Mercedes

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Leclerc had previously set the same Q3 time as rival Max Verstappen, with both drivers achieving 1m 40.445s, but the Red Bull driver temporarily took the top spot.

But Leclerc fought back in the closing moments with a personal best first and last section, plus he ran faster than anyone in the middle of the lap, leading Verstappen by 1m 40.203s 0.188 seconds.

This was aided by Verstappen and his team-mate Sergio Perez falling short of their personal best times in the second period.

Leclerc said he was stunned by the team’s aim to beat Aston Martin and Mercedes ahead of the weekend as he takes his first pole position at Singapore 2022 and ends the season early broke the winning streak of Red Bull qualifying.

“I was surprised,” he said. “We went into the weekend thinking that if we qualified ahead of Aston and Mercedes it would be a good weekend and we ended up on pole so it was a real surprise.”

However, Leclerc did temper expectations for Sunday’s full grand prix as he conceded the RB19 could still outpace his SF-23 car.

He continued: “We can’t forget that our car might still be behind the Red Bull, so it will be difficult to stay ahead, but that’s the goal and really happy with the lap.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-23

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-23

Photography: Andy Horn / motorsport pictures

“It’s been a very challenging weekend for our drivers because there’s very little practice time (with the change to the sprint event schedule).

“We only had one practice session and then you have to go straight to practice, but it felt good from the start, really happy.”

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Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz is fourth behind Perez, and Leclerc added: “It will be challenging because we haven’t run medium (tire compounds).

“So tomorrow’s qualifying session (sprint) will be the first and we need to take part because we only have one set. So, there’s no room for error.

“But again, the pace seems to be strong. So, hopefully we can learn in Q1 and Q2 and then push in Q3, we know the car is good.”

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Sainz hopes for clarity on his contract at Ferrari soon

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Carlos Sainz still has a year-and-a-half remaining on his Ferrari contract, but the Spaniard is curious to see what the Italian team plans to do with him after that. Sainz spoke about this in a conversation with Sky Sports. So while he previously said he wasn’t worried about all the rumors surrounding him personally, he wanted clarification soon.

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Ferrari introduces updates: 'We expect to make progress'

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Last week it was Charles Leclerc’s turn and next weekend it was Carlos Sainz’s. Soon, both Ferrari drivers will be competing in their home races. The race in his hometown of Monaco didn’t go his way for Leclerc, with Sainz clearly hoping to please his fans with the best results.

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Wolff looks ahead: 'We don't expect a big performance change'

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Not on the podium, it still feels good. With Lewis Hamilton in fourth, Mercedes will never rest on its dark past, but times have changed. Possibly they will change more in the next period, as in Barcelona, ​​it may become clearer just how well the updates Monaco have introduced.

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