"We are in a better place starting 3rd" - Charles Leclerc remains optimistic despite missing out on front-row start at 2023 F1 Bahrain GP

Charles Leclerc was the third-fastest in the first qualifying session of the 2023 F1 season in Bahrain and will be starting the main race on Sunday behind the two Red Bulls.

Despite admitting yesterday that it was unlikely that Ferrari would be in the mix for pole position in qualifying, the Scuderia certainly did find themselves setting impressive lap times. Charles Leclerc seems optimistic looking ahead.

In a post-qualifying media interaction, the Monegasque said:

“I’d rather start P3 with new tyres than P1 with older tyres. We are much closer than what we expected, I’m looking forward to the race. Having a new tyre will help us tomorrow, it’s going in the right direction.”

Despite having time for another lap towards the end of Q3, Charles Leclerc was seen bowing out of the session, indicating that his Ferrari suffered a technical issue that prevented him from getting back on track and competing for pole.

However, he explained that nothing was wrong and that the team made a strategic decision to save their tires for the race as they were certain that the Red Bulls would lock out the front row irrespective.

He said:

"No there wasn't any issue. I think we were in the fight for pole, which was a good surprise to be honest because I did not expect that after testing and after the free practices that were a little bit difficult. We managed to find that pace for the quali lap, which was great."

"However, we need to keep in our mind that in our race we seem to be on little bit of a backfoot compared to Red Bull and I think we are in a better place starting third with new tires rather than starting first with old ones."

At the start of Q1, Charles Leclerc brought out the red flag after pieces of the bodywork of his car came off on his very first lap, causing him to lock up and then abandon the lap, which is certainly not the happiest beginning of the season for the Tifosi, who are desperate to see the Prancing Horse gain momentum.

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Charles Leclerc says Ferrari's goal is "to win the championship" despite Red Bull's advantage

After missing out on his first potential F1 championship title last year, Charles Leclerc has returned to the track optimistic about his shot to fight for the same this season. Showing full faith in Ferrari's capabilities, the 25-year-old emphasized that he believes the team can fight at the front despite starting off on a bit of a "back foot".

As reported by Sky Sports, Leclerc said:

"It's a long season, our goal is still to win the championship. I am confident. We have great guys in Maranello, I think we have shown it with the big step forward from 2021 to 2022. There were too many mistakes in 2022, we know that, but we've been very honest with ourselves in order to get better for this season."

"The target is still [to win the title]. Even if we are starting a bit on the back foot compared to them in terms of performance, I'm sure we can come back."

With Frederic Vasseur as the new team principal of Ferrari, it will be interesting to see how the team transforms over the course of the season.