Leclerc reflects on 'disappointing' home defeat to Norris in qualifying at Monaco Grand Prix

22:17, 24 May

byToby Nixon

Charles Leclerc has explained his disappointment with second place on the grid for his home race in Monaco. He looked like the frontrunner for pole position after topping three consecutive practice sessions. However, it was Lando Norris who ultimately secured the top spot on the grid. After qualifying, Leclerc revealed that his first run in Q3 was compromised.

Leclerc left disappointed with second place

The Monegasque driver appeared as the clear favourite for pole position heading into Sunday. However, Charles Leclerc explained why he ultimately missed out on the top spot. According to Leclerc, his first flying lap was compromised because Max Verstappen was running just ahead of him on track.

"Well, it was a good lap, but it was a bit of a tricky Q3. In the first run of Q3, I had Max in the second sector and lost a lot of lap time there. So, obviously, when you don’t have that first time in Q3, then you have a little bit less confidence to go flat out on the second run."

Lando Norris broke the lap record and will line up on pole for the Monaco Grand Prix

The Ferrari driver believes that this moment didn't have an effect on his overall performance, as Norris managed to take pole with a fantastic lap. ‘’I don’t think this made the difference at the end of the day. I haven’t seen exactly the gaps, but I think it’s bigger than a few hundredths. So, yeah, it is the way it is. I’m obviously disappointed—being at home and being on top of every free practice session was a good sign.

‘’But I kind of felt it already in FP3 where I knew that I was putting laps very much on the limit. And when you look at the onboard, you can see drivers that are taking a bit of a step back. So I knew it would be close, but at the end of the day, I didn’t get it this year."