Charles Leclerc feels he has missed a unique opportunity to win in 2025, as Ferrari proved more competitive at the Monaco Grand Prix than elsewhere on the Formula 1 calendar.
Leclerc took provisional pole around the historic streets of Monte Carlo after the second barrage of Q3 runs, ahead of both McLarens. But both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri opted to go for an extra flyer on their final run, and while Piastri had a messy lap, Norris was able to find the pace to snatch pole away from Leclerc.
Leclerc felt there wasn’t much more he could have done to defeat Norris, but he was still “very frustrated” because he felt this was Ferrari’s first competitive weekend of the year, and a pole would have therefore given the Monegasque driver a chance to win a race this season, Ferrari having been unable to fight for the win elsewhere.
“There’s always something more to be done. But, at the end of the day, this was the best we could do. I think the lap was really good,” Leclerc said after losing out to Norris’s track-record lap by 0.109s.
“The first lap was a little bit of a shame because when you have a first good lap that gives you a bit more confidence for the second round. I couldn’t have that. I had sector two traffic, but it’s the way it is.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Photo by: Peter Fox / Getty Images
“Just obviously very frustrated. We know that we don’t quite have the car to go for wins this year. But this weekend, the car felt good. And starting second here is going to be tricky to then take that first place.”
When asked why he has historically been so strong around the streets he grew up on, he said: “I don’t know. I like city tracks in general. I like to really go all in into qualifying and take maximum risks. And I think this most of the time pays off. Sometimes it doesn’t pay off.
“I’m proud, anyway, of the result we’ve had today, as on paper it was going to be a very difficult weekend for us. At the end of the day, it’s not that bad.”
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