Leclerc Reflects on Missed Opportunity at Austrian GP: Admits Overzealous Push in Qualifying Led to Sixth-Place Grid Position

"Today, it backfired on me," Charles Leclerc concedes, acknowledging his overzealous effort during the Austrian GP F1 qualifying round

In an attempt to secure a better position, Charles Leclerc's aggressive driving during the qualifying session resulted in a mishap at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Charles Leclerc has acknowledged that his strategy for the F1 qualifying round at the Austrian Grand Prix was unsuccessful, following an off-track excursion on his last attempt in Q3.

Leclerc failed to better his final lap time during the qualifying session, resulting in a sixth-place starting position on the grid.

The driver from Monaco had recorded a competitive time using previously worn soft tires, securing the fourth position initially, but a series of mistakes on his next lap led to him falling to seventh place.

Initially, Leclerc veered off track at Turn 6 before repeating the action in the last two bends.

The driver from Ferrari moved up to sixth place following the disqualification of Oscar Piastri's fastest lap, initially securing third place, due to exceeding track limits.

Commenting on the qualifying round, Leclerc expressed: "It's disappointing, because when you're aware you have the capability to perform strongly, and then you personally err, it always stings.

"However, the situation isn't catastrophic. Finishing in seventh place (P7) isn't ideal, and I believe a third-place finish (P3) was achievable today. The performance during turns 1 and 3 in my final lap was exceptionally good. I managed to be two-tenths of a second quicker than my previous lap time, but then I made an error in Turn 4. In an attempt to recover some time, I pushed harder in Turn 6 but ended up losing time, and the same happened in Turn 9."

"In essence, it's the nature of existence. In my view, the aggressive approach in qualifying brought more benefits than drawbacks this year. However, today it backfired. Naturally, I'm feeling somewhat let down, particularly since our team faced challenges over the last two or three races, and I saw today as a chance to reclaim a spot among the top three.

"However, my performance on the second lap wasn't up to mark. Conversely, the initial lap with the worn tire turned out quite well."

Nonetheless, Leclerc felt encouraged by the progress Ferrari made following the sprint race.

Leclerc ended up in seventh place during the sprint, having begun from the 10th position, this was the result of an anti-stall problem during Friday's qualifying session.

Unfortunately, he couldn't advance past the initial round.

"He believes the current setup has improved since the morning, enhancing the prospects for tomorrow's race pace."

"Absolutely, I'm eager to see what tomorrow brings us."

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