Leclerc best of the rest in P7: "Good reward for all the hard work"

Sauber rookie and Ferrari-bound Charles Leclerc had yet another great outing, scoring P7 for the team in Russia, and the Monegasque was over the moon with the way he and his car performed.

Starting from P7, Leclerc made quick work of passing Esteban Ocon's Force India in the first turn, passing the Frenchman on the outside. Next up was the fifth-placed Kevin Magnussen, whom he surprised with a sweeping move that even the Dane, who normally battles for every inch, couldn't defend.

He eventually got overtaken by the quicker Red Bulls of Daniel Ricciardo and birthday boy Max Verstappen, but he did finish on top of the midfield, which is quite the advantage for both Leclerc and Sauber. The days of Sauber being the slowest team on the grid seem like a century ago rather than one year.

"It has been an amazing race today," Leclerc was quoted by F1i.

"It was very good that I could get past Esteban and Kevin very quickly because then we knew it would be very difficult to overtake on this track.

"To be in front of them was a huge advantage.

"They straight away lost quite a bit by being behind and they couldn't really follow."

He was particularly proud of his overtake on Magnussen, who had not foreseen the rookie sending his Sauber down his inside. It was a bold move, but he made it stick, which shows just how good he is.

"It was a great overtake, and Kevin also stayed fair, that was good to see.

"To score such a result for the first time this season feels amazing, and is a good reward for all of the hard work we put in week after week.

"I am glad to have scored some more points and can’t wait for the next race in Japan."