Charles Leclerc has started the last four editions of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from pole position, which means he is certainly one to watch in Qualifying on Saturday afternoon. “I admit it, I love this track,” he told journalists in the Scuderia Ferrari HP hospitality. I’ve often managed to produce something special in Q3, but in the race there is nowhere to hide at this circuit and it demonstrates the true performance of the cars. So we definitely cannot consider ourselves to be favourites. Based on what we saw in Monza that would be the McLarens and Max Verstappen’s Red Bull.”

In sync. Charles has always had a particular affinity with street circuits. “I really like them because they’re more extreme, which is why you can pull something off on a flying lap. There’s not a single street circuit on the calendar that I don’t like. The feeling of risk you get as you brush the walls is something you don’t get on a conventional track, and that probably give me an edge over some of the others.”

Possibilities. Leclerc then looked ahead to Sunday. “As I said, anything can happen in the race here, because overtaking is not difficult and a faster car can come through over the course of the race. We’ll do our best to be fighting at the front. The Safety Car has featured a lot here, which could offer some opportunities, so we need to be ready to take them. Tomorrow, we will prepare as well as possible for the two days that count and then hope that by Sunday, we’ll be able to say that we are satisfied with what we have achieved together as a team.”