Mixed feelings for Leclerc: 'Red Bull is on another planet'

Charles Leclerc posted a fine result in qualifying for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, but did so knowing that he will be moved back 10 places on Sunday due to changing to his third control electronics. The Ferrari driver therefore left qualifying with mixed feelings.

Asked if he is happy with the result of qualifying, Leclerc replied: "Yes and no. On one hand, I think it has been a very difficult weekend in terms of pace for us. I am very happy about my lap. I think I put everything together and it was really on the limit."

At the same time, the Ferrari driver sees a daunting pace among the competition. "Red Bull are on another planet," he concludes. Meanwhile, the Italian racing stable faces a challenging race with Leclerc's grid penalty. "We are struggling a little bit but we need to keep pushing. Starting with a 10-place penalty is not going to be easy but we will try our best to work our way up the field.," he continued.

"The race pace looked quit good. It's difficult to compare from FP2. It seemed a bit better. I feel everyone is close in terms of race pace.," concluded Leclerc, who will start ahead of Max Verstappen despite his grid penalty. The Dutchman starts from P15 after seeing his qualifying end early due to a broken driveshaft.