Leclerc "just wanted a clean qualifying" in Spielberg following recent qualifying woes

Following a run of tough qualifying sessions and races, Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc delivered a much‑needed rebound in qualifying at the Austrian Grand Prix, securing second place on the grid just two weeks after a bruising Saturday in Barcelona.

Assessing his SF26's performance, Leclerc opened by praising Ferrari’s relentless development effort, which has seen major updates arrive at consecutive race weekends.

“Yeah, the car is feeling good and I think the team is pushing like crazy at the moment, which is really nice to see. In Barcelona, we had a big package, but everybody is pushing like crazy to try and produce those upgrades as quickly as possible and bring them to the track also as quickly as possible. And it’s definitely paying off, so that’s really good to see.”

But Leclerc’s own qualifying session was far from straightforward: “My qualifying was quite tricky, honestly. The car, on braking was really struggling quite a lot from Q1 to the last lap in Q3.”

He still managed to extract a strong lap when it mattered: “I managed to do a bit of a better lap in Q3, which I’m happy of. I thought at one point that I will have pole, but George was just too quick.”

After difficult weekends in Canada and Monaco—and a technical issue in Barcelona—Leclerc was relieved to be back in contention.

“The front line is good, especially after the last couple of races where the feeling wasn’t there in Canada and Monaco," the Monegasque continued.

"In Barcelona, unfortunately, there was the technical issue that cost us a few more points. And yeah, to be back with a bit more of a normal weekend feels good. I needed that.”

Asked what unlocked his pace in the final segment of qualifying, Leclerc said the lap was not particularly special—just tidy.

“Honestly, it wasn’t a very special lap. It’s the kind of laps where, yeah, as I said, I just wanted a clean qualifying, I just wanted a clean lap. When you are in this mindset, maybe you leave a little bit of margin on the table.”

But he has no regrets: "I don’t regret it because I wouldn’t have beaten George anyway. So yeah, second is the best we could do today," Leclerc continued.

Leclerc admitted Ferrari’s Friday performance left the team unsure of its competitiveness as Mercedes had looked a step ahead of everyone on the opening day of the weekend.

“I really hope so. But it’s very strange because yesterday was a very tough day for the team. I think we were struggling a lot as a team and today we did a big step forward.”

“I did not expect, and I think as a team we did not expect, to be in front of the McLarens particularly and close to the Mercedes. So that’s a good surprise.”

“Then for the race in itself, I think we did a step forward with the car for tomorrow. Whether this will be enough to challenge the Mercedes, I doubt so. But if there’s an opportunity, I will do everything to take it.”