After recording a second consecutive seventh place finish for the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team, Charles Leclerc said that he was very happy with his and the team’s Brazilian Grand Prix performance.
Qualifying in eighth – but starting in seventh due to Daniel Ricciardo‘s five-place grid penalty – directly behind team-mate Marcus Ericsson, Leclerc fought amongst the frontrunners in various stages of the race. The Monégasque driver even managed to defend credibly from future Scuderia Ferrari team-mate Sebastian Vettel after the German’s pitstop.
Leclerc said that his third seventh place in the last five races was a “positive result” for Sauber, expressing his joy in driving the Autódromo José Carlos Pace track for the first time in competitive conditions, and bolsters their claim for eighth place in the Constructors’ Championship after two years in tenth position.
“I am very happy with the race,” beamed Leclerc. “Finishing in seventh place is a positive result that we can be satisfied with.
“It was fun to drive on this track and adding more points to our tally to solidify our eighth position in the Constructors’ Championship is a positive feeling for the whole team. I look forward to seeing what we can do in Abu Dhabi.”
Sauber move nine points clear of ninth-placed Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda and sit just six points shy of the Racing Point Force India F1 Team with just the final round in Abu Dhabi left in the season. The result also saw Leclerc leapfrog Pierre Gasly into fourteenth in the Drivers’ standings.