Charles Leclerc explains Baku sprint qualifying crash

Charles Leclerc blamed his tyres for a late crash during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix sprint shootout as Max Verstappen dropped off the front row. On the last lap, Leclerc lost control of the rear at turn five and slammed into the barrier, damaging his front wing. 

However, the Monegasque still secured pole as Verstappen and Sergio Perez were unable to better their runs. After the session, Leclerc said: “With the softs it was tricky because we haven’t driven on these tyres since yesterday. 

“The conditions are very different so it was behaving differently. I tried to push a bit more on the final lap and I lost it in turn five. In the end it doesn’t have any consequence, I don’t know about Carlos but it’s a shame if he was improving.”

Leclerc topped the timesheets in the opening session before Verstappen stole the limelight in SQ2. In the final part of qualifying, the Ferrari star set the early pace after Verstappen lost control in the middle sector. 

The Dutchman was seen sliding out of turn five and six which left him P3 behind team-mate Sergio Perez. Crucially drivers were not allowed to swap tyres between the first and second runs and there was a noticeable lack of grip on the final runs. 

It prevented Verstappen from closing the gap and was a likely cause behind Leclerc’s shunt. Leclerc will also start on pole for Sunday’s Grand Prix after topping the timesheets in Friday’s qualifying. 

Although, the 25-year-old is still unsure about the squad’s true potential ahead of the two races. Leclerc added: “Happy with the first lap and we need to continue that in the race. We’ll go for it but we need to be realistic. 

“Until now, we have been on the back foot in races as Red Bull seem to have the pace. I’ll do everything I can. We are here for the battle [with Red Bull] and I’ll do everything I can to win.”

Logan Sargeant was the only casualty of the session with the Wiliams star slamming into the wall on the outside of turn 15. However, several drivers were caught out by the slippy surface with many throwing away laps due to mistakes. 

Carlos Sainz and Nico Hulkenberg were among the drivers to lock their front tyres and run down the escape road. George Russell will start the sprint race from P4 after just edging past Lewis Hamilton who will line up P6.