"I'll do everything to win": Charles Leclerc pumped after securing another pole position at 2023 F1 Azerbaijan GP

Charles Leclerc stormed his way to pole position in the inaugural sprint shootout in Baku. The Monegasque driver managed to outperform both Red Bulls en route to his fourth qualifying win at the circuit in Azerbaijan.

The Ferrari driver took this third consecutive pole in Baku on Saturday (April 29) and will start Sunday's main race at the front of the pack. In addition, the 25-year-old will lead the pack heading into Turn 1 in the first sprint race of the year later today.

Charles Leclerc has shown incredible form all weekend long, having managed to outperform his 2022 championship rival and current championship leader Max Verstappen, who will start the main race in P2 and the sprint race in third position.

However, given Red Bull's low tire degradation this year, the Ferrari driver will have to be at his best if he wants to stay ahead of the Bulls in both races. While the shorter sprint race should be easier to manage for the Monegasque, the former Sauber driver will have to be easy with the throttle to best the Austrian team on Sunday.

Speaking to Naomi Schiff in Parc Ferme after the sprint shootout, Charles Leclerc said:

"Well, we'll go for it but we need also to be realistic. Until now, we have been on the back foot in the race. The Red Bull seems to be a step ahead. So let's see how it is. Hopefully, we have a good surprise. I think we improved the car quite a bit, but I think today we will have more of an answer in the race to see where we are."

Charles Leclerc's exit clause could mean premature departure from Ferrari

Charles Leclerc has an exit clause in his current Ferrari contract that allows him to leave the team before the end of his tenure if he doesn't score a certain number of points by August.

This means that his 2023 campaign, which has started poorly with two DNFs in the first three races, could lead to an early departure from Ferrari. Leclerc was considered a championship favorite for 2023 after leading the 2022 drivers' championship for a significant portion of the year.

Ferrari's SF-23 was meant to be an improvement on its predecessor and bring the championship back to Maranello but Leclerc's current car has high tire degradation and drag, making it worse than last year's model.

Despite being locked into his contract until the end of 2024, there are rumors that Leclerc could use his exit clause to leave Ferrari at the end of the year if he doesn't meet the required number of points. Red Bull's Helmut Marko claims that this clause allowed Sebastian Vettel to leave Red Bull and join Ferrari in 2015.

If Leclerc fails to achieve the specific number of points, he could leave Ferrari in September, regardless of whether or not Ferrari is among the top four teams in the constructors' standings.

However, with the Monegasque seemingly in flying form, at least in qualifying, it remains to be seen how his season progresses.