Leclerc nearly crashed three times during "crazy" pole lap
Ferrari Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc says he saw himself in the wall “two or three times” during his “crazy” pole lap in Singapore Grand Prix qualifying.


Leclerc secured his third pole position in a row, and fifth of the season, as Ferrari shocked pre-event favourites Mercedes and Red Bull at the Marina Bay circuit.
Sebastian Vettel was on provisional pole after the first run in the final part of qualifying but Leclerc overhauled his teammate at the end, and now has the most poles of any driver this season.
Leclerc said: “It was quite a crazy lap. The first one I compromised it, I started it too close to Lewis.
“That compromised the second sector, and then I had quite a bit of pressure to perform on the last lap.
“I gave it all. There were quite a bit of mistakes, I lost the car quite a few times and I saw myself in the wall at least twice, or three times in the lap.
“But it felt amazing. The car was great. Friday was a very difficult day for me and to come here in qualifying and do pole position feels absolutely amazing.”
Leclerc said he could not really explain how he kept control of the car in those moments, as “it becomes instinctive”.
He described slides at Turn 3 and Turn 11 as “quite big” moments.
“I was actually quite surprised I didn’t lose so much time,” said Leclerc, who qualified on pole by 0.191s.
“Everything after that went smooth, I was just giving it my all. It was quite intense in the car but I am very happy.”
Vettel eventually slipped to third behind Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton after aborting his final run in Q3.
He said he had already lost “a little bit” in the first sector of the lap and eventually realised improving his time was a forlorn effort.
“[I was] playing catch up and trying to take more and more risks throughout the lap which didn’t pay off and the last lap didn’t come together,” said Vettel.
“Overall it is a good result for us putting the car first and third for the team is great.
“It was not a track where we expected to be so strong. I’m happy with that, but not happy with the very end of Q3.
“The car was good today and pole was in the grasp but let’s see what happens tomorrow.”

Vettel, Hamilton slam "bullshit" reverse-grid race idea
Norris blames "brain fade" for "awful" Q3 lap

Latest news
Why Aston Martin is unlikely to repeat Jaguar’s F1 mistakes
Two famous manufacturer teams born out of humble midfield origins, splashing the cash while attempting to rise to the top of F1 in record time. There are clear parallels between Lawrence Stroll’s Aston Martin and the doomed Jaguar Racing project of 22 years ago, but Mark Gallagher believes struggling Aston can avoid a similar fate.
How rejuvenated Haas recovered its F1 mojo
US-owned but until recently Russian-backed, Haas seems to have reached a turning point in car performance after three gruesome seasons. And it needs to if it’s to attract fresh investment. Team boss Gunther Steiner tells Oleg Karpov how close Haas came to the abyss.
How F1 race leaders have now lost their comfort blanket
As Formula 1 teams have settled down in understanding the new generation of cars and the way they need to maximise their performance, fresh lessons have emerged. Jonathan Noble investigates how they have brought with them an all-new kind of grand prix racing
Gilles Villeneuve's 10 greatest F1 drives
Formula 1 lost one of its brightest stars when Gilles Villeneuve was killed during practice for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix. Forty years on, Motorsport.com picks out the greatest drives by a Ferrari legend
The silver lining of Ferrari’s Miami GP defeat
OPINION: Much was made of Formula 1’s first Miami Grand Prix – what turned out to be a very ‘marmite’ event for both those in attendance and everyone following on TV. But even as the on-track battle between Red Bull and Ferrari it produced continued the negative run of results for the red team, it contained a glimmer it must hope continues to shine
How imperfect Miami offered F1's drivers a unique challenge
OPINION: Despite all of the stylistic embellishments festooning Formula 1's inaugural Miami Grand Prix, the Miami International Autodrome offered the drivers a unique challenge and punished driver errors; a stark contrast to the usual cast of modern-day circuits
Why F1’s turbulent relationship with Russia is nothing new
Russia’s involvement in Formula 1 has been big on promise but short on delivery – then reached the end of the road prematurely. MARK GALLAGHER investigates why
Miami Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2022
Formula 1's eagerly-anticipated debut in Miami was the scene for the latest bout for victory between Red Bull and Ferrari. But there was plenty of intrigue up and down the field at F1's newest race, including another stirring drive from a 2022 returnee