Leclerc hopes to get away from Verstappen: 'Otherwise it will be difficult'

Ferrari may occupy the front row of the grid for the Miami Grand Prix, but polesitter Charles Leclerc will have to look closely in his mirrors. Red Bull Racing will start directly behind with both cars and will want to separate Carlos Sainz from his teammate as quickly as possible.

Red Bull's speed is mainly in the straight, but Ferrari has an advantage in the corners. Leclerc hopes to grab a quick lead after the start in an attempt to keep Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez out of his DRS range, but realizes that his rivals pose a threat in terms of top speed.

Still, he is confident that he can keep the Red Bulls off him. "If they are close to us then it’s going to be very difficult but we’ve got this advantage in the corners," he explained during the press conference post-qualifying session. "Hopefully there they will be too far away to overtake us on the straight."

He stresses that it will only become clear during the race which team has the fastest car, but once again expresses his confidence in Ferrari. "The pace of the car is quite strong, so we’ll focus on ourselves and see where we are tomorrow," said the championship leader.