Scuderia Ferrari Racing Director, Laurent Mekies, is satisfied to have Charles Leclerc on pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix despite a potential grid penalty hanging over his head.
The Italian-based team have been strong throughout the weekend, and it came to no surprise to see Leclerc take provision pole in Monte Carlo, which was enough in the end, after he collided with a wall and brought out the red flag in the final minutes of qualifying.
The abrupt end to qualifying saw Max Verstappen final flying lap, and also his team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr., who looked a possible candidate for pole, was halted, with the Spaniard now starting fourth on the grid for tomorrow’s race.
It’s still unclear whether Leclerc will receive a new gearbox as Ferrari assess the damage overnight, but Mekies is still satisfied with the pole position after a difficult year or so for the team.
“A great qualifying, albeit with the sword of Damocles hanging over the result, dependent on the state of Charles’ car. Whatever the final grid order, it is still satisfying to have one of our drivers on pole after what is the most difficult qualifying of the season.
“However, there is some disappointment that Carlos was unable to secure a better position, penalised – truth be told, as were other drivers – by the red flag caused by his team-mate.”
Mekies added that the team arrived in Monte Carlo expecting a good result, but never got carried and says it was down to their two talent drivers.
“We came to this event aware that we could do well, but we never got carried away. Our aim was to be just behind the two teams fighting for the championship, but we managed to do much better than that.
“The result was down to the talent of our drivers and the preparation work from the team both at the track and back in Maranello, as well as the support of our technical and commercial partners.
“Tonight and tomorrow, we will stay focused on preparing as well as possible for the race, when the aim will be to reap the best possible result from what we have sown so far.”
