Leclerc Secures Fourth Consecutive Baku Pole Without the ‘Magic Answer

Charles Leclerc admits he lacks a "magical solution" for his outstanding pole position achievements in Baku

According to Lewis Larkam's report from Baku, Charles Leclerc is at a loss to account for his remarkable success during the Azerbaijan GP qualifiers.

Charles Leclerc admits he lacks the "definitive explanation" for his remarkable record of securing pole positions at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Formula 1.

The driver from Ferrari secured the pole position with ease at Baku for the fourth consecutive year, finishing 0.321 seconds ahead of McLaren's Oscar Piastri, who prevented Carlos Sainz from joining his teammate on the front row.

When questioned by Crash.net about whether his most recent pole position in Baku topped all others, Leclerc responded, “No, it’s not the best.

"In my opinion, the 2021 season stood out as the finest, given it was an exceptionally tough year. We were contending for ninth and tenth place in the championship, so securing the pole position here felt truly remarkable."

"Nonetheless, it turned out to be an excellent lap. Interestingly, there's hardly any variation in my lap times on this circuit. It appears that I'm maintaining a consistent performance, though I can't exactly pinpoint why. The track's rhythm just seems to resonate with me."

"Throughout each round, starting from Q1, my performance was consistently strong, and the car's balance felt excellent. The lap turned out to be impressive, although it's challenging to measure it against performances from previous years."

This achievement signifies Leclerc's third pole position this season and the 26th throughout his career.

Despite securing the top starting position four times before in Baku, the driver from Monaco has not yet managed to turn it into a victory on the street track.

"Securing a win would be great," Leclerc admitted. "The pole positions in 2021 and 2023 caught us by surprise. Our car didn't have the speed needed for a victory.

"In 2022, our car was performing well until the engine failed. We're optimistic about our speed and hoping for no obstacles that prevent us from securing a victory.

"However, before we consider the outcome, there's still a considerable distance to cover on this circuit, and it's quite a challenging one. Let's see what happens tomorrow."

"Meanwhile, I'll ensure that I'm preparing in the best way possible."

Leclerc maintained that he is "not concerned" about his Ferrari's speed in the race, even though he didn't finish a lengthy stint on Friday due to an accident in the initial practice.

"I didn't complete a lap on a full tank, but that aspect of our car has been quite solid throughout the season, so I'm feeling confident about the race tomorrow," he commented.

"Clearly, it's essential to prepare thoroughly, so I'll have to dedicate some time to studying this evening to ensure I'm prepared for tomorrow. However, I'm not overly concerned. We'll put forth our best effort with what we have, and then determine if it's sufficient to secure a victory in the race."

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