In the latest qualifying session, the Scuderia Ferrari driver secured his seventh consecutive front row start, but once again found himself playing second fiddle to Max Verstappen and Red Bull. Leclerc’s lap time was ultimately more than three tenths slower than that of the defending World Champion.
The Italian team entered the 2024 Formula 1 World Championship with a clear objective to compete for the Title. Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur emphasized that their focus remains on the current campaign, despite the signing of Hamilton for the Maranello-based outfit in 2025.
Leclerc’s regular teammate, Carlos Sainz Jr., had a strong start to the year with a podium finish at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix. However, the Spaniard fell ill the following week and had to undergo surgery to remove an inflamed appendix before FP3 on Friday.
Due to his poor condition, Sainz was unable to participate in the race and was replaced by 18-year-old Oliver Bearman, a driver from the Ferrari Academy and Formula 2. Although Bearman adapted well to the SF-24, he ultimately struggled to match the pace and qualified in P11.
Leclerc was not completely satisfied with his fastest lap during qualifying and believed there was more potential to close the significant gap to Verstappen. He expressed his desire to work on understanding the issues he faced during the sessions in order to extract the full potential of the car in the future.
Despite his disappointment, Leclerc had positive words for his stand-in teammate Bearman, who performed admirably considering his lack of experience in Formula 1. Leclerc wished Sainz a speedy recovery and congratulated Bearman on his impressive debut in Formula 1 qualifying. He believed that together, they could bring home a good haul of points.
Bearman himself was a bit critical of his performance, as he had hoped to crack the top 10 but fell just short. However, he saw this as a valuable opportunity and expressed his readiness to make the most of it in the race. He acknowledged the challenges of the difficult track and tempered his expectations, aiming to bring the car home and potentially score some points.
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will begin at 17:00 GMT (20:00 local time) on Saturday, March 9th. Can Leclerc challenge Verstappen for the victory? And will Bearman be able to climb up the order and secure points in his Formula 1 debut?