Leclerc not expecting podium finish: 'Today was the lucky side'

Charles Leclerc counted his lucky stars after finishing on the podium at the Spanish Grand Prix, as he expected a best result of fourth were it not for a late Safety Car that reset proceedings. 

Once again, Ferrari were unable to produce a car capable of challenging the McLarens and the Red Bull of Max Verstappen at the head of the field.

Leclerc qualified his SF-25 in seventh position, behind his teammate Lewis Hamilton as well as both Mercedes cars. However, a brilliant launch off the line catapulted the Monegasque into fifth by the end of the opening lap.

He was then allowed to switch position with Hamilton, who appeared to be struggling for pace compared to his younger teammate. Now in fourth, it seemed as though Leclerc would be unable to close the gap to the three drivers out front.

Luck On Leclerc's Side This Time

A sudden power unit failure for Andrea Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes on lap 54 of the Grand Prix allowed Leclerc to close right back up to the gearbox of Verstappen in third place.

It would have been difficult for the Ferrari driver to pass the defending Champion, as the Red Bull in the latter's hands was the faster overall package. But Leclerc was on brand-new soft tyres, while Verstappen was forced to put on a set of hard tyres.

The hard tyres lacked the grip that Verstappen needed for a quick restart as the Safety Car pulled in on lap 61 of 66 of the race, and he almost lost control of his RB21 on the exit of the final corner. This allowed Leclerc through along the main straight to claim the final podium spot, which he held all the way to the chequered flag.

The pair made contact on the main straight when they were side-by-side, and were investigated after the Grand Prix. Both drivers avoided penalties, although Verstappen received a ten-second penalty for a likely-deliberate collision with George Russell on lap 64.

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Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after the race, Leclerc admitted that he was lucky to come away from Spain with a third-place trophy under his arm.

He said: "The first stint was super strong because we had a tyre we didn't use yesterday. It was basically a new tyre that we didn't use in Q3 and that was a game-changer.

"The second medium was worse than what was expected. I think P4 would have been possible. Luckily there was a Safety Car at the end. In Imola we were on the unlucky side of things, today was the lucky side," stated Leclerc.

Yet More Issues At Ferrari

Leclerc explained that he knows the reason why his pace on the third stint was so much worse than during the opening stint, and will work on it with his team before the Canadian Grand Prix in a fortnight's time.

He continued: "I know the limitations. For whatever reason we need to understand why that changed massively from the first stint to the last stint.

"The limitations were a lot more difficult to manage in the last stint. We need to understand why but I've got an explanation for it.

"I'm pretty sure I know where it's coming from. It's not something I expected. It's new from this weekend," Leclerc added.

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