"We are much stronger here" - Charles Leclerc expects close fight with Red Bull after narrowly losing 2022 F1 Dutch GP pole to Max Verstappen

Charles Leclerc is looking forward to a close battle with Red Bull's Max Verstappen after being pipped to pole position by the latter during qualifying for the 2022 F1 Dutch GP.

In what was the narrowest margin in qualifying for pole position this year, the Dutchman edged out Leclerc by 21 hundredths of a second to clinch back-to-back poles at the Circuit Zandvoort.

Charles Leclerc did have the provisional pole in his hands heading into the final run for all drivers in Q3. Despite a somewhat slower second sector, the Monegasque driver was able to better his time only slightly before Verstappen came charging through to deny him, much to the delight of the thronging Dutch fans.

As he waited for his customary post-session weigh-in, Charles Leclerc appeared to be in apparent disbelief. In his parc fermé interview with Giedo van der Garde after the session, the 24-year-old was asked about the slender margin between him and the reigning world champion. Leclerc said:

“Yeah. Very, very close. I mean Max [Verstappen] did a great lap in the end and our car was getting better and better through qualifying. At the beginning, I was pretty scared because Max was much, much quicker than us on used tyres but then in Q3, the car came a bit more together and I managed to do that lap which was close enough for P2. Tomorrow is the race and we will give it all.”

When asked how the Ferrari F1-75's performance at Zandvoort compared to last weekend's race at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, the Ferrari man added:

“I mean, we are much stronger here compared to last weekend, so that’s good to see and for tomorrow, I think our race pace looks quite strong. It’s going to be close with Red Bull but we would just need to do a great start and then we will see.”

Leclerc will have the benefit of having his teammate Carlos Sainz starting behind him as Ferrari look to pile the pressure on Verstappen's Red Bull ahead of them.

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Max Verstappen more fearless than Charles Leclerc, claims David Coulthard

Max Verstappen is driving fearlessly without any pressure in 2022 now that he is a world champion. That is the biggest difference between him and Charles Leclerc this season, according to David Coulthard.

Verstappen has been in superb form since 2021 and has continued in the same vein this year. The Dutchman's season started slow with two DNFs in the first three races. Since then, he has hardly put a foot wrong and has been fortunate even when the odd mistake has crept up.

After 14 rounds in 2022, Verstappen has nine wins and has been on the podium in every race he has finished this year barring the British GP. The defending world champion has built up a formidable lead over his main title rival, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, in the process.|

Coulthard believes that Max Verstappen is fearless behind the wheel, something Charles Leclerc is not. Speaking in an interview with Motorsport's Dutch affiliate, the Briton said:

“Has he [Max Verstappen] become faster? No, I don’t think so, because he was already very fast. Better than in 2021 is almost impossible in that respect. But is he more relaxed and mature? That one hundred percent. If you look at Charles [Leclerc], there is still a certain fear in his driving. That’s perhaps logical too since Ferrari left points they shouldn’t have left. But Max doesn’t make those few mistakes anymore and so they do make the difference. Max can even opt for the ‘spinning and winning’ tactic now.”

Charles Leclerc is 98 points behind Verstappen in the World Drivers' Championship standings and will need nothing short of a miracle to win the title from this position. A win at the 2022 F1 Dutch GP could be the first step towards that unlikely goal.