“The car was for pole today”: Charles Leclerc gutted with himself after qualifying P4 in the 2023 F1 British GP

Charles Leclerc and Ferrari could only manage a fourth-place starting position for the British GP this Sunday, July 9.

The Qualifying session at Silverstone witnessed changing weather conditions, and a surprising battle for pole position until the last seconds of Q3.

Leclerc started the weekend on the wrong foot after missing FP2 but was the fastest driver in Saturday's FP3. Later in the afternoon, the quickly evolving track during the qualifying session meant no driver was safe. The Monegasque driver successfully made it into the final session without any issues.

The final runs in the Q3 session saw times tumble down quickly as most drivers bolted on a fresh set of soft tires. Charles Leclerc was the first of the drivers to take the checkered and did put his car on a provisional pole with a time of 1m 27.136s. He was only bettered by the two McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri and polesitter Max Verstappen (1m 26.720s).

Leclerc believes the car was good enough to be on the pole as he was upset to be starting on the second row of the grid.

"Yeah. Good session overall. In the damp conditions, we made some step forward. The car was for pole today, I’m sure. Yep. F***!" he said over the radio.

Charles Leclerc will be starting ahead of his teammate Carlos Sainz Jr., who finished a hundredth of a second behind and was equally frustrated with the result. The two were also involved in a track position dispute in the final run of the Q2 session.

Despite being beaten by the McLarens, Leclerc remains confident about the race on Sunday. Both the Mercedes and the Aston Martins will be in his rearview mirrors when he takes the green flag.

---

Charles Leclerc left surprised by McLaren's pace around Silverstone

F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain - Qualifying

McLaren drivers Lando Norris and rookie Oscar Piastri stunned the Silverstone crowd as they went second and third fastest in the qualifying session respectively. The Woking-based team has made a huge leap with the upgraded MCL60, outqualifying Ferrari and Mercedes.

Charles Leclerc was left baffled by the speed of the McLarens but is curious to see how the team performs in Sunday's race.

"The McLarens are so fast. We’ll have to see what race pace they have. Today they surprised me." Charles Leclerc was quoted saying to the media post-qualifying session.

In the Austrian GP, where Lando Norris drove the upgraded car, both Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were quicker on the track. However, the Monegasque considers the McLarens a dark horse entering the British GP.

"The goal for tomorrow is second place. We know that Mercedes is strong in long runs. There are question marks on McLaren," he added.

Catch the British GP live tomorrow at 3:00 PM (UK time).