F1 News
Leclerc expects to be a pole contender: 'would be surprised if we are not'
This weekend is the home race of Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc. With the driver currently second in the drivers championship, he is confident that a pole position is on the cards for this weekend. The Monegasque driver is also certain he can convert his potential pole and win his home race for the first time. /en/grandsprix/monaco-grand-prix
During Thursday afternoon's press conference in Monaco, the Ferrari driver was asked how realistic pole position could be. Last year, he started sixth on the grid after he was handed a three-grid place penalty for blocking McLaren rival Lando Norris. Nevertheless, he is confident this year could be different: "I feel like in Monaco you always start a little bit from scratch. What we've seen in the last few races, I think it won't be too different."
"There still can be some surprises we've seen in 2021. We were nowhere, but we got to Monaco and our car was working very well. We'll have to see after Friday where we are compared to the others but I would be surprised if we are not in the mix for pole at least," he added.
Is a Ferrari podium also possible?
"Second or third is not really something that excites me so the win is what we need to target," the Monegasque driver said. "We've seen in the last few races that Red Bull, McLaren and ourselves are pretty close in in qualifying and we know how important qualifying is here. We'll have to put everything together and if we're on pole then that will give us a good chance to get what we want which is the win."