Leclerc happy with P7 qualifying recovery after initial struggles

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Sauber's Charles Leclerc was delighted to secure a spot among the top-ten in qualifying at Sochi following the struggles that hampered his performance on Friday's opening day of running.

The 20-year-old Ferrari-bound driver will line up P7 on Sunday's Russian Grand Prix grid, edged out by Force India's Esteban Ocon by just 0.006s.

"To be honest I'm very happy with my lap," said the Monegasque.

"When you see six thousandths (of a second) in between Esteban and myself, we probably could have improved something but he probably could have also.

Bottas beats Hamilton in Mercedes-dominated qualifying

"Very happy with 7th which I think is the best starting position for me this year, which is quite nice, and especially considering the Friday I had

"We struggled quite a lot with the set-up in FP1, to work from there and improve that much for qualifying is something I was working to and I'm really happy to see the result."

Despite starting in the upper tier of the grid, Leclerc is expecting to work hard to hold his own against Red Bull and Renault's demoted chargers who will likely fill his mirrors at some point on Sunday afternoon.

"There are some fast cars starting in the back of us," he acknowledged.

"If they can overtake it will be difficult to keep them behind - the Red Bulls for example. It will also be interesting to see how Renault will do because they will start on a different strategy.

"It's going to be an interesting race but I don't see why we couldn't keep this position. I'll try to push as much as possible to not see them in the mirrors!"

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.