Leclerc admits sprint format prevented him from attacking Verstappen hard

Charles Leclerc says that the new format of the sprint weekend meant he couldn't attack Verstappen as much as he wanted to, saying he couldn't take any risks because of qualifying later on.

Leclerc may have finished the sprint race in second but he believes that the new sprint format for 2024 meant he couldn't attack Verstappen as hard as he wanted to.

"I had a good start, then was on the inside," Leclerc said post-race. "I didn't want to take too many risks because of qualifying later on. We both braked late. I was pushing very hard. Tomorrow is a long race, and qualifying is important to start as far ahead as possible. It was very close yesterday, not many laps in FP1. With a sprint race, I got more laps and we can target pole position."

Qualifying gets underway at 9pm (GMT)/10pm (CET). He hopes to beat Max Verstappen, who has qualified on pole at every race so far this season. The Red Bull driver will be the favourite, but Leclerc was close yesterday.