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The Monaco Grand Prix qualifying delivered quite a spectacle on Saturday, with Charles Leclerc setting the third-fastest pace after pole-sitter Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso.
The Monegasque driver was happy to not having faced any major catastrophe during the session, although he did admit that he was not fully "satisfied" with the final result. He also mentioned that the bumps posed quite a challenge to the Ferraris.
In a post-qualifying media interaction, Charles Leclerc said:
"I’m not satisfied with P3, but on the other hand we need to look at the situation we are in with the car. It was very tricky qualifying, the weekend for me especially, we struggle a lot on bumps compared to the other cars."
"But in qualifying the car was a bit more alive, I was a bit more at ease with the car and we managed to do P3, very close to the pole position. So all in all happy, but I would prefer to be first of course."
He also acknowledged that his history of bad luck in Monaco did not seem to impact his session this afternoon. He added that he remains optimistic about his prospects to make up places in the main race on Sunday. He said:
"I guess a little bit more luck than the other years, I don’t know how is the forecast, yesterday it looked like maybe we’ll have some rain. So if this is the case anything is possible and I will go for it anyway and let’s see where we end up."
This street circuit is known to be very difficult to overtake on, meaning that championship leader Max Verstappen holds a significant advantage for the main race this weekend.
Monaco GP is "always very special," says Charles Leclerc
Despite all the bad luck that he has faced in the past at his home race in Monaco, Charles Leclerc still believes that the track still holds a special place in his heart.
In the press conference ahead of the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix, home hero Charles Leclerc said:
"I mean as good as last year and the years before. It is always very special for me because those are the streets where I've grown up."
"I know this city by heart, wherever I go on the track. I've got some friends living right over the track and can see the race from their apartments."
Charles Leclerc currently stands seventh in the drivers' standings with 34 points to his name.
