Charles Leclerc “very happy” with Belgian GP qualifying despite being miles off from pole

Charles Leclerc expressed his delight with his qualifying spot at the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix. Despite being off the pace of the McLaren cars, the 27-year-old was pleased to secure a third-place starting position for the race on Saturday, July 26.

The Scuderia Ferrari driver, who endured a torrid outing last time out at the British Grand Prix, was quick to put the Silverstone event behind him as he qualified in third place, just ahead of Max Verstappen, who had earlier clinched victory in the Sprint race. Detailing his excitement following qualifying, Leclerc, via the Ferrari team's official website, stated:

I'm very happy today, despite us still being three tenths off pole. We put it all together and it feels good to look back at qualifying knowing that we haven't left anything on the table with the potential we had today. I've felt comfortable in the car since FP1 and we've learned a lot about our upgrades." "Our competitors in the front look strong but with the small changes we've made to the car with the race in mind, I hope we can put up a good fight tomorrow," he added.

Charles Leclerc’s qualifying result also saw him match his performance at the Austrian Grand Prix weekend, where he finished the race on the podium. The former Sauber driver will now aim to convert his second-row start into another podium finish or possibly a win, which would be his first of the 2025 season.

However, while Leclerc enjoyed a stellar qualifying session, the same cannot be said of his teammate Lewis Hamilton, who will be aiming to claw his way up the grid from 16th place on Sunday.

Charles Leclerc reacts on social media after Belgian Grand Prix qualifying

Charles Leclerc also took to social media to share his thoughts following the qualifying session of the Belgian Grand Prix. The Monegasque driver posted on his X account after an impressive qualifying lap at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit.

Leclerc, who qualified three tenths behind the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, shared a series of photos on his account. He captioned the post, writing:

“Happy with my lap today. 3rd on the grid tomorrow. Let’s see what’s possible from there.”

It is worth noting that Charles Leclerc holds fond memories of the Belgian Grand Prix, including the 2019 edition where he claimed his maiden Formula 1 victory. The then-Ferrari youngster started the race from pole position and finished ahead of the then-Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. Leclerc dedicated the emotional win to Formula 2 driver Anthoine Hubert, who tragically lost his life following a crash during the F2 feature race at Spa.

The eight-time Grand Prix winner will now shift his focus to the race as he will be aiming to add another victory at the Spa circuit, when the lights go out for Sunday’s race at the Stavelot event, especially considering the rainy weather conditions which has been forecast to impact the weekend during the Grand Prix.

Edited by Sumeet Kavthale