Leclerc: Work on mixed conditions running 'paying off'

Charles Leclerc says the work he has done lately to improve his performance in sessions with mixed track conditions "paid off" in Friday's Belgian Grand Prix qualifying.

Leclerc secured the runner-up spot in the wet-to-dry session behind the untouchable Max Verstappen, but the Ferrari driver will kick off his race on Sunday from pole following Verstappen's five-spot grid penalty for a gearbox replacement.

Leclerc openly acknowledged his struggles in mixed-weather conditions, especially when running on slicks on a part damp track. His performance was therefore a validation of his recent efforts to overcome his specific relative weakness.

"Not bad qualifying for us, especially in those conditions," Leclerc said. "It is always tricky to put everything together.

"I put a lot of work in those conditions, as I wasn't really comfortable a few races ago. And it seems to pay off."

• 2023 Belgian Grand Prix - Qualifying Results

With track conditions quickly improving in Q3, Leclerc reckoned that he had perhaps launched his final flyer a tad early.

"We went a bit too early for that last run, but pole was definitely not for us today," he added. "Max was too quick, but we could have been a bit closer.

"Having said that we have a great starting position for Sunday."

Leclerc endured a moment of anxiety in Q2 when he encountered the slow-moving Haas of Kevin Magnussen on the racing line after he had hit the wall, a misstep for which the Dane was summoned to the stewards.

"It was really tricky," Leclerc said. "I had Kevin also that went in the wall and then continued in front of me.

"So I didn't put a lap in early and then you've got all the pressure on that last lap that, and in those conditions it wasn't easy.

"But at the end, everything went well. So yeah, happy. Having said that, there's still quite a bit of work to do in order to catch the Red Bulls."

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