The first qualification of the season in Bahrain finished with a first row license plate Red Bull and one Ferrari called to defend himself in the last attempt - surprisingly - with only one striker. The decision to stay in the box with Charles Leclerc and therefore not to attack Max's time at the end of Q3 took everyone by surprise. Both because Charles is the best player to bet on when there's a Pole to conquer, and because the pace was actually there. There are those who hypothesized a problem on the Monegasque's SF-23, who however appeared quite serene at the end of the session. The same Charles ha in fact clarified why he remained in the pits in the last attempt, also anticipating the challenges that the team will have to face in tomorrow's race.
Leclerc: "no problem"
Leclerc, interviewed at the end of the session in Bahrain, explained the reason for the decision not to return to the track for the last attempt, which everyone thought was the first sign of surrender by the Maranello team. Ferrari starts from second strength, and is called upon to chase Red Bull, which seems to be able to say more especially on the race pace. Precisely for this reason, the team preferred to preserve the tyres, perhaps avoiding having to pay the price for a Pole on Saturday on Sunday from the outset.
“There was no problem – Charles confirmed. “We were fighting for pole which was a nice surprise honestly. I didn't expect it after the tests and free practice which had been more complicatede. Instead we had the pace for the qualifying lap which is great though we must remember that in terms of race pace we seem further behind than Red Bull. Starting third, with a new tyre, we think we are in better shape compared to what we would have had with a Pole but with used tyres. I don't know how much this choice will pay but the direction is the right one.”
A tight qualification
With Aston Martin ahead of the Mercedes, the fight for the podium could become even more fun and unpredictable. Today Alonso he placed immediately after Carlos Sainz, deciding like Charles not to try with the last lap launched. “We have all been very close. The Aston Martin was really fast, at one point even the Mercedes was close. All of this gives an interesting perspective for the future. To make Formula 1 even more exciting. So it's definitely a positive element."
