Leclerc: "Always interesting to start next to Verstappen"

Charles Leclerc insists his P4 in qualifying for the United States Grand Prix isn't a bad result once his lack of running in the final practice session is considered. The man from Monaco says it's interesting to start next to Max Verstappen as he eyes up chances for the race.

“It's never nice to miss out on time in FP3 because it's the only session that really prepares you for the qualifying. I don't know to what extent it influences it but for us, anything is possible tomorrow. The start remains interesting here, but we will see how it goes," said Leclerc to the Ziggo Sport camera.

“I'm pretty happy about today. We were not far from pole. After what happened today, we can be quite satisfied, because it was not easy," he continued.

Dutch reporter Jack Plooij cannot resist calling in Verstappen. The Dutchman starts from P3 in Austin, so next to Leclerc: "Yes, indeed next to Max ... It is always interesting to start next to each other," is the reaction of the Ferrari driver.

"You can fight in the first rounds, so the elbows can be used," Plooij emphasizes, "Yes," Leclerc finally replied laughing.