"I didn't expect it" - Charles Leclerc 'extremely happy' to secure pole position for 2022 F1 Azerbaijan GP

Charles Leclerc secured his fourth consecutive pole position at the 2022 F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying. The Monegasque held his own despite Sergio Perez's strong form all weekend and his domination up until the very end of the qualifying session,

In a post-qualifying media interaction, the 24-year-old admitted that he did not expect to be starting from pole, given Red Bull's pace this weekend. Leclerc said:

“It feels good. This one, obviously all pole positions feel good, but this one I didn’t expect it because especially in Q1 and Q2 I really struggled to see that we were faster but it came together in the last lap and I managed to do a good lap so I am extremely happy.”

Speaking about his expectations from the main race tomorrow, Charles Leclerc said:

“I am really excited tomorrow. Tyre management is a big thing here, in Barcelona and Monaco we were managing it well even though in Monaco it was difficult to see anything. But overall, our race pace has gone a step up since we brought the upgrades. Tomorrow will be very interesting whether it is the case here too.”

Leclerc will be chasing his third race win of the season in Sunday's race. With Sergio Perez hot on his tail, however, it is unlikely to be an easy win.

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Johnny Herbert believes Charles Leclerc has a "strong mind"

British former racing driver and television announcer Johnny Herbert claims that Charles Leclerc has a "strong mind".

Earlier, Leclerc's streak of bad luck in his home race continued at the 2022 F1 Monaco GP, where Ferrari's strategy cost him the win. As reported by PlanetF1, Herbert believes that the Monegasque will quickly recover from the disappointments of Monaco, and his pole position in Saturday's qualifying session certainly proves that he did. The Briton said:

“Last year Charles [Leclerc] was on pole position and we know that their car has become a serious blow compared to last season. Ferrari didn’t have a very good tactical performance there [in Monaco]. They took away from Charles the chance to win, but he is a powerful guy with a strong mind. That’s why he sometimes does very clever things. He’s the kind of person who can have a bad race, that gets stuck somewhere in the back of his mind, but then he carries on in a powerful way.”

Herbert went on to add, saying:

“Maybe a bit of luck should fall his way. If that happens he will be able to dominate races. I think the grand prix in Azerbaijan is the ideal place for Ferrari to win again. In the last two races it seemed to come his way but then he got hit with bad luck. I’m looking forward to seeing how strong they are going to come out, but I think they’ll get back on track.”

With Ferrari and Red Bull locking the first two rows of the grid, the 2022 F1 Azerbaijan GP is expected to deliver yet another spectacle with a battle to watch out for.