Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz was full of praise for his teammate Charles Leclerc after the latter got a stunning pole position in his home race at the Monaco Grand Prix qualifying on Saturday (May 25). The Monegasque driver was pushed all the way by Oscar Piastri but showcased his pace in the dying moments of an electrifying session.
Sainz, who had struggled throughout the weekend compared to his 26-year-old teammate, managed to hook a lap together and finished P3 around two and a half tenths behind the pole lap.
In his post-qualifying interview with F1TV, Sainz mentioned that he wasn't able to extract the maximum from his SF-24 as but applauded Leclerc for being 'amazing' throughout the weekend and said:
"I'm not entirely happy because I wish I could have been fighting for pole position, but the truth is Charles has been doing an outstanding job. The car has been amazing all weekend, and he managed to extract the most from it, so I'm happy for him."
The Spaniard further pointed out that the P3 slot wasn't the best position, but it would enable him to help Leclerc get the win, adding:
"It's just a matter of track position here and we lost it with not a great Quali position. It's Monaco. Anything can happen and we will give it our best shot. The priority will be to win with Charles tomorrow."
Charles Leclerc emphasizes the importance of a good start on Sunday for main race
Charles Leclerc stated that he was happy with his lap in the qualifying session, but was aware that he had to get a good launch off the line at the start of the race on Sunday.
The Ferrari driver told F1TV in his post-qualifying interview:
"I need a good launch off the grid, then once we do that, hopefully, Carlos can have a great start and follow me into Turn One. If we are one-two, we can manage that as a team. That would be the perfect scenario. But whatever happens, we need to bring that victory home."
Leclerc previously started in the pole position twice in the 2021 and 2022 Monaco GP but failed to convert into a race win due to circumstances out of his hands.
His best finish at the 'Crown Jewel' of the sport remains the P4 he got in the mixed conditions in the 2022 season.