Having managed to get both cars into Qualifying 3 for the second consecutive race, Charles Leclerc praised the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team‘s efforts at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace.
Leclerc and team-mate Marcus Ericsson managed to provisionally qualify in eighth and seventh places respectively and will move up one spot courtesy of Aston Martin Red Bull Racing‘s Daniel Ricciardo earning a five-place grid penalty for an enforced noncompliant turbocharger change.
Leclerc faced missing out on a sixth Q3 appearance of 2018 due to changing conditions at Interlagos. Initially expressing his frustrations in the increasing light rain towards the end of Qualifying 2, when standing in eleventh, the Monégasque driver ignored his race engineer’s advice to pit and managed to knock Kevin Magnussen out of the final part of qualifying.
Yesterday marked the first time that Sauber have assumed the tag of ‘best of the rest’ in qualifying in 2018, with Leclerc describing it as “an incredible achievement“.
“What an amazing day for the team,” beamed Scuderia Ferrari-bound Leclerc.
“Qualifying as best of the rest, with both cars having such strong results is an incredible achievement that we should all be proud of.
“I was very happy with my lap at the end of Q2, a bit less in Q3. Marcus did an incredible job today, and well done to him.”
Both Sauber cars will start on the super-soft tyres unless the increasing threat of rain materialises in São Paulo.
