Leclerc insists tyre mix-up in Q3 'wasn't a big deal'

Charles Leclerc says Ferrari's tyre mix-up in Q3 at Spa was inconsequential and changes nothing for the rest of the Monegasque's weekend.

As Leclerc prepared for his first run in the top-ten shootout, his crews erroneously fitted his F1-75 with a fresh set of soft rubber instead of used tyres as planned.

"Wait, what are these tyres?" Leclerc inquired on his out lap, with race engineer Xavier Marcos Padres replying: "Sorry, that was a mistake".

Leclerc clocked in fourth overall, but will start his Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday from P16 due to power unit-related grid penalties.

While the oversight had no bearing on Leclerc's performance, it was still another misstep for a team that has been heavily criticized this season for its faults and blunders.

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"I think there was a miscommunication, it wasn't a big deal," Leclerc said after qualifying. "But obviously I mentioned it because I was a bit surprised.

"But yeah, it doesn't change anything anyway, for the rest of the weekend."

Assessing Ferrari's relative performance in the Saturday afternoon session topped by Max Verstappen, Leclerc rued the team's gap to Red Bull, insisting the Italian outfit "expected to close a little bit more the gap in qualifying".

"They found something this weekend that is quite impressive," Leclerc added.

"It’s a big gap. So I hope that in Zandvoort it will change. But before that we've got the race tomorrow, we seem to be a bit more competitive. Let's see how it goes."

Verstappen will also start his Sunday in the second half of the grid in P15, just ahead of Leclerc. The Dutchman admitted that he would be disappointed if he didn't finish on the podium given Red Bull's strength around Spa.

But Leclerc isn't sure he'll be able to follow his arch-rival into the top-three.

"I will also be disappointed if I don't get back on the podium, but considering he's with me, if he has the pace of today, then it's going to be very difficult for me to get back on the podium," Leclerc said.

"But yeah, we never know. A good first stint, a clean race and I'm sure we can get back to the front."

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