Banking on the consistently scintillating performance throughout the weekend, Charles Leclerc bagged the pole position for the Monaco GP. The local hero not only beat Max Verstappen to pole but also his teammate Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard struggled with the car throughout the practice sessions and will start the race in P3. He is, however, happy with his performance and will prioritize his teammate’s win on Sunday.
Speaking after qualifying, as quoted by Sky Sports, Sainz said, “It’s just a matter of track position here and we lost it with not a great Qualy position.” He added, “It’s Monaco. Anything can happen and we will give it our best shot. The priority will be to win with Charles tomorrow.“
carlos sainz post-quali radio:
“yeah, congrats guys, very well deserved! charles’ speed had been amazing — good job on him.”
— gen (@forsainz) May 25, 2024
Sainz remains positive about his prospects in the race. He pointed to a peculiar problem of struggling with the car only in the shorter runs. The longer runs, meanwhile, have looked promising for him.
Sainz admitted the car had performed phenomenally well throughout the weekend. However, it was his own dwindling confidence that rendered him toothless against Leclerc.
The Ferrari duo will not have the most smooth sailing in the race, though. While the threat from Max Verstappen and the Mercedes duo is worrisome, it is the McLaren drivers that they need to be wary of. Oscar Piastri will start the race in P2, wedging himself between Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. Lando Norris, meanwhile, is within shooting distance in P4.
Charles Leclerc ready to lift the Monaco curse
Charles Leclerc has never left an ounce of effort unused in order to grab a win at his home in Monaco. In 2023, Ferrari failed to produce a car worthy enough for the pole position or the win. However, the two iterations of the race weekend prior to it saw the Monegasque take the home track by storm on Saturdays.
In 2022, Leclerc bagged the pole position but the rain on Sunday played spoilsport. Amid the chaos, Ferrari strategists let him down with a bad tire-change call. The move was enough to ruin his chances of a victory as he managed only a P4 finish despite leading the race for a good chunk.
The experience in 2021 was even more frustrating as Leclerc could not even start the race from pole due to a driveshaft failure. This was a result of his Q3 crash that damaged his gearbox and rear suspension badly, but secured his pole position.
The unlucky occurrences have led to the ‘Monaco curse’ becoming a folklore among fans. With another pole position to his name, Charles Leclerc has the chance to break the ‘curse’. Surely he’s had his share of bad luck.
