Charles Leclerc showers praise on ‘impressive’ F1 rookie: “He was extremely talented and he showed that today”

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc has praised 2023 rookie Oscar Piastri for his "impressive" performance in the qualifying session of the Saudi Arabian GP. The Australian driver managed to make it to Q3 in Jeddah and will start the main race in P8.

Piastri qualified P9 but will receive a grid promotion thanks to Leclerc's 10-place grid penalty. The Monegasque, on the other hand, qualified P2, but will start the race in twelfth place as his team has used an additional power unit component in his SF-23 for the race.

Speaking about Piastri's qualifying performance, Leclerc told the media, including Sportskeeda:

“It’s impressive. Especially after a year off and [this is his] second race, in a street track, in a very challenging one – probably one of the most challenging of the season. To see him have such a performance is great, however, it’s not really a surprise with what he has shown in the past. I was pretty sure that he was extremely talented and he showed that today.”

Meanwhile, Piastri's McLaren teammate Lando Norris nicked the wall in the final corner of his Q1 lap, causing him to drop out of the qualifying session altogether. The Briton will start the race in P19.

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Charles Leclerc dismisses claims that Ferrari should give up in 2023

Charles Leclerc has rejected the idea that Ferrari should abandon their pursuit of the 2023 F1 title and instead focus on the 2024 season.

Despite a disappointing outing in Bahrain, where he fell more than half a second behind Max Verstappen in the race before retiring due to a power unit malfunction, the Ferrari driver remains committed to this season's objectives.

In addition to issues with the car, Leclerc has been slapped with a ten-place grid penalty in Jeddah for replacing power unit components. As a result, he will begin the race in P12, a mere three spots ahead of his 2022 championship rival Max Verstappen.

In response to suggestions by Motorsport.com that Ferrari could start focusing on the 2024 season, Leclerc said:

"We are only at the beginning of the World Championship, and there are so many races before the end of this season; we have to fight like crazy to get back to the top and keep pushing. I really believe we can fight this season, because we only did the first race."

The Monegasque added:

"Sure, it didn't go as we wanted, and when Ferrari doesn't go as it should, then there are many rumours around the team, but we have to be positive and spend our energies wisely."

With the Ferrari SF-23 showing good form at the end of qualifying, it will be interesting to see Leclerc make his way through the grid on Sunday.