Leclerc: Gap to Russell Larger Than Expected

"Honestly, I thought I had a good lap," Charles explained. "Lewis was 3-4 seconds ahead of me and gave me a tow, so it felt like a strong lap. But when I saw the gap to George, I realized my lap might not have been as good as I thought."

"We've been playing catch-up since the start of the weekend. We expected to be further behind after a difficult yesterday, but this morning I had some hope for a better performance."

"I think in terms of grid position, we're where we expected to be, but the time difference is much greater than anticipated."

"We'll see what happens tomorrow. Our top speed on the straights isn't our strongest suit, but our race pace in the first practice session with more fuel on board was good, so I remain hopeful."