Leclerc wary of losing advantage after taking pole at Spanish GP

Charles Leclerc managed his tyres well and pushed harder than reigning world champion Max Verstappen to take pole at the Spanish Grand Prix. 

However, the Ferrari driver admitted that he could lose all the advantage if does not manage his tyres properly. Verstappen will start second and Leclerc’s teammate Carlos Sainz third. 

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“I am in a strong position to start the race, but I have been struggling with my tires and with Max right behind, if we don’t manage them well we will lose that advantage,” Leclerc said after taking pole at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. 

Leclerc had to recover from a spin in his first run in Q3. He went 1 minute, 18.750 seconds, 0.323 seconds faster that Verstappen. This was the Monaco driver’s fourth poke this season and 13th of his career.

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Verstappen’s Red Bull appeared to suffer an issue in the last gasp. He was preparing for his own final run to try to snatch the pole back from Leclerc, but his DRS flap failed to open and ruined his chance. Now he’s banking on Red Bull’s good long runs and tire preservation skills to beat Leclerc come Sunday.

“It is a shame because I would have liked a last run,” said Verstappen, who got his first career win here in 2016.

“Tomorrow will be very hot and this track is very hard to pass but hopefully it will kinder on our tires.”

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“I did a mistake on my first run, but in the end I made it stick,” Leclerc said. “Very happy with that lap and that I made it work with the only chance I had.”

Mercedes showed a significant turnaround from the struggles its had through the first five races of the season with its new car. George Russell qualified fourth and once again outran new teammate Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time champion qualified sixth, with Red Bull driver Sergio Perez sandwiched between the Mercedes drivers.

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Here is the lineup for the Spanish GP:

1. Charles Leclerc, Monaco, 1 minute, 18.750 seconds.

2. Max Verstappen, Netherlands, 1:19.073.

3. Carlos Sainz Jr, Spain, 1:19.166.

4. George Russell, Great Britain, 1:19.393.

5. Sergio Perez, Mexico, 1:19.420.

6. Lewis Hamilton, Great Britain, 1:19.512.

7. Valtteri Bottas, Finland, 1:19.608.

8. Kevin Magnussen, Denmark, 1:19.682.

9. Daniel Ricciardo, Australia, 1:20.297.

10. Mick Schumacher, Germany, 1:20.368.

11. Lando Norris, Great Britain, 1:20.471.

12. Esteban Ocon, France, 1:20.638.

13. Yuki Tsunoda, Japan, 1:20.639.

14. Pierre Gasly, France, 1:20.861.

15. Guanyu Zhou, China, 1:21.094.

16. Valtteri Bottas, Finland, 1:20.355.

17. Esteban Ocon, France, 1:20.880.

18. Fernando Alonso, Spain, 1:21.043.

19. Alexander Albon, Thailand, 1:21.645.

20. Nicholas Latifi, Canada, 1:21.915