Leclerc ready to 'take some risks' after Ferrari screw up in Q3

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Charles Leclerc will launch his race on Sunday with the bit between his teeth after Ferrari's mismanaged run in Q3 on Saturday at Yas Marina.

Leclerc clocked in fourth at the end of the final segment of the top-ten shootout but was denied a second Q3 run as a result of a misjudgment by the Scuderia's pitwall.

Teammate Sebastian Vettel crossed the line with seconds to spare before the session ended but Leclerc, who was following the German, ran out of time to embark on a second lap.

"Sometimes it happens, I don’t know whether the situation was unlucky or if we could have done anything better but yeah, we will analyse it and try to understand to not have it happen again, because it’s a big shame," said Leclerc.

"I knew at the exit of Turn 3 that I knew I had a tight margin, but to be honest I didn’t want to overtake Sebastian and be in front of him."

The Monegasque will nevertheless start his race from the inside of the second row, right behind poleman Lewis Hamilton and alongside Vettel.

"I will take quite a bit of risk at the start," added Leclerc. "I need to finish in front of Max [Verstappen] for the championship so at the end, we will see what happens."

Scuderia boss Mattia Binotto admitted the team had left its drivers' final qualifying run deliberately late, but without enough margin for Leclerc.

"We screwed up," Binotto said. "I think here we were completely aware and conscious of what could of been the risks.

"It was a risk we knew that we were taking but this didn’t work today."

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Vettel also lamented the mix-up, insisting that the cars ahead of him hadn't allwoed him the chance to speed up and therefore pull Leclerc out of the danger zone.

"Alex [Albon] was backing up because he had a McLaren in front of him," he said. "I don’t know who was in front of the McLaren or whether the McLaren could be closer.

"It was just a pity because my tyres were very cold to start with and I lost it straight in the first corner and Charles didn’t even start a lap."

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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.