“We extracted the most we could have done” – Leclerc

Charles Leclerc claims that finishing P5 was the best possible result for him after starting eight on the grid due to a crash in qualifying.

Leclerc managed to post a time quick enough in his Q2 session before crashing the Ferrari to get into Q3 and start in the top ten.
 
Because of other drivers penalties he was able to start P8, higher than expected, and made the most of it for the race.
 
The Monegasque showed his pace early on in the race to catch up to teammate Sebastian Vettel before the German pitted.
 
The Ferrari driver then took the lead of the race after both Mercedes drivers Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton stopped for fresh tyres, before Leclerc was overtaken and pitted himself.
 
“We extracted the most we could have done out of today’s race.” Leclerc said.
 
“After the setback in qualifying, I started from P8 on medium tyres.

“It was a bit tricky in the beginning, because everyone around me was starting on the soft compound while I struggled a little bit to get up to speed.

“Once I got the tyres up to temperature, I had good grip and the situation improved. We had a strong first stint and were able to gain some positions there.

“After the pit-stop it became clear that we would not be able to move further up the order, so we decided to stop pushing to save the tyres, pitted for a new set and so I was able to bring home the point for the fastest lap at the end.

“Overall, it hasn’t been the best weekend but our potential was clearly there and I hope that we will have a much better performance at the next GP in Spain again.”