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Leclerc conquers Melbourne jitters, setting sun to take pole
Leclerc conquers Melbourne jitters, setting sun to take pole
Charles Leclerc has often struggled around the Albert Park circuit but he finally conquered it on Saturday to take pole for the Australian Grand Prix -- even as the setting sun presented yet another challenge.
The Ferrari number one from Monaco said it was a track that didn't suit his driving style, but in a measure of how far he has progressed, it all came together in a blistering lap at the death in Melbourne.
It was enough to edge out Red Bull's world champion Max Verstappen, who will start second on Sunday, as the pair provided more evidence that they are the men to beat this season.
"It was a good lap, this time I took quite a lot of risks, especially in Turn six, which was quite tricky," said the 24-year-old, the early championship leader who is looking to build on victory at the season-opening race in Bahrain last month.
"I wasn't really on this corner during qualifying, doing some mistakes, and then in the last Q3 lap I managed to gain quite a bit on myself compared to the other laps.
"Very happy, especially on a track like this where I have always struggled in the past and also in practices.
"But I was working on consistency and I just managed to put that lap together. So very, very happy and it's good to be starting on pole tomorrow."
Albert Park has undergone its most significant changes since it first hosted a race in 1996, with the track fully resurfaced.
Seven corners have been modified and two removed this year, reducing the number of turns and offering better overtaking opportunities.
Leclerc said it remained a tough configuration.
"To be honest I was also struggling on the previous layout. I've always struggled with these type of corners that are not really 90 degrees," he said.
"Always struggling with my driving style here, but I think it's also a general thing with all the drivers. It's a very tricky track, a very challenging track."
Making it even more difficult was the setting sun late in qualifying, which hindered drivers' visibility.
Leclerc was heard asking Ferrari to give him a new helmet fitted with "the darkest visor you have" as qualifying ran some 30 minutes deeper into the evening due to red flag incidents.
"It was definitely extremely tricky," he said.
J.Hall--SMC
