‘I did not expect it’ – Leclerc ‘very happy’ after taking P3 in Spa Qualifying with ‘really good lap’

Charles Leclerc was left “very happy” after claiming third place on the grid for the Belgian Grand Prix, with the Monegasque hailing his effort as a “really good lap”.

On a weekend in which Ferrari are running a revised rear suspension, Leclerc went one better than his fourth place result earlier on in Saturday’s Sprint to be the best of the rest behind the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in Qualifying.

“I’m very happy today – it’s strange to say that because it’s still three-tenths [back] and it’s only a third place, but I did not expect it,” Leclerc reflected after the session.

“We thought we were quite a lot more back. We knew that we had something more in the car obviously with the upgrade this weekend, but we still struggled yesterday. But this was a really good lap.

“I’m very happy with the lap, very happy with how the car felt, so it’s good that we put everything together for Quali.”

When quizzed on what he put it down to, Leclerc responded: “It obviously takes a bit of time to maximise those upgrades that we put on the car, so there were some little things that we changed, but nothing major.

“It was all about putting everything together. I’ve felt comfortable with the car since FP1, so it’s good to have a Qualifying where you look back and know you haven’t left anything on the table.”

During Saturday’s Sprint, Leclerc initially overtook Norris for third before later losing the place again. With this in mind, the 25-year-old is unsure whether a podium will be possible in Sunday’s Grand Prix, in which he will line up one place ahead of Max Verstappen.

“I don’t know yet but, for sure, their race pace this morning looked very strong,” said Leclerc. “I couldn’t keep up with them. But again, with the small changes that we’ve done, I hope that this gives us the upper hand in the main race.”