Australian Grand Prix – Charles Leclerc was annoyed by his own performance after qualifying fifth for the season-opening race in Melbourne.
The Ferrari driver had been closely matching team-mate Sebastian Vettel over the course of the weekend, but an error on his final lap meant he fell behind the Red Bull of Max Verstappen.
When it became clear that pole position would be a battle for the two Mercedes drivers, Leclerc was frustrated not to line-up in third place behind the Silver Arrows.
Starting his first race for Ferrari on the third row of the grid, Leclerc explained that an error in turn one meant he was unable to challenge for a top three position.
“I’m not happy with myself. I didn’t do the job in Q3, which is a shame. I thought Q1 and Q2 were very positive on my side,” said Leclerc to Sky Sports.
“The first run in Q3 was pretty okay, but then in the second run I made a mistake and locked up in turn one, and then it was just a very messy lap.
“It’s a shame. I think the top three was definitely there [to achieve]. The top two not, but we’ll work to get better.
“I’ve been struggling quite a lot on this track last year, so I’m pretty sure things will get better, but I need to work on things from my side to get better when I have to.”
To view the full results from the qualifying session, click here.
