The Monegasque became the first non-Red Bull driver to take a pole in 2023 with a superb effort to beat 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Max Verstappen by 0.188s during Friday qualifying in Baku. 

Having set an identical time to world championship leader Verstappen on their first Q3🎐 runs, Leclerc improved with a 1m40.ꦜ203s to pip the Dutchman and secure his third pole in a row at the high-speed street circuit. 

Leclerc, who famously labelled himse🅺lf “stupid” for crashing out of qualifying in Azerbaijan in 2019, admitted he briefly thought he was going to repeat his error. 

“The wall was, like… I thought I would crash in that mo🐲ment,” Leclerc told Sky after qualifying. 

“I thought the rear wheel would touch much more but I think I just brushed the wall, which was perfect.⛎ 

“Turn 2 was then how I wanted to do the corner. From what I remember from this lap, there’s not much I would do differently. I put all of my best corners🎐 in it.&nꩲbsp;

“The lap before I was not happy.🔜 The wind✨ changed and I had to anticipate the turn more. I focused on that. If you miss the apex, you lose a lot of time.” 

It marked some mꦺuch-needed relief for Leclerc after hi🍬s worst start to a season with Ferrari in the first three races of the campaign. 

The 25-year-old has also had to 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:bat away rumours he has held talꦉks with Mercedes about potentially replacing168澳洲5最新开奖结果: Lewis Hamilton amid Ferra༺ri’s miserable start to the year. 

“It’s good for the team, e﷽specially in a moment like this,” Leclerc continued. 

“The first three races haven’t been easy. We were very unlucky in the f🍷irst t🌼wo. Then the incident in the last race.

“And all the rꦅumours around the tꦇeam too coming here… So it’s good to be back on pole.

“But we also need to remain realistic. We are a step behind Red Bull in the race, but I’ll do everythꦬing I can.”