Vasseur reveals refuel pay off behind surprise Leclerc pole

Frederic Vasseur has hailed the “perfect” Ferrari strategy that aided Charles Leclerc in securing Belgian Grand Prix pole position. 

During Q3, Leclerc and team-mate Carlos Sainz initially went out on a used set of intermediate tyres, and were seventh and eighth after the first runs, but the two swapped to a brand-new fresh set for the final laps. 

Sainz could not improve, but Leclerc did, vaulting up to P2, some 0.6s down on qualifying winner Max Verstappen, who is dropping to 11th on the grid owing to a 10-place grid penalty.

It means Leclerc inherits pole position for the second straight Belgian GP from Verstappen, with Vasseur highlighting how Ferrari used the strategy perfectly to allow the Monegasque to earn a 25th F1 pole, just 0.011s up on Sergio Perez.

“First, Charles did a great lap, and the strategy went our way as we decided to refuel between the two laps,” Vasseur told Sky Sports F1. 

“At the end, when the delta to [Perez] is less than one-hundredth, I think it paid off. 

“Sometimes, the coin goes on the right side or the wrong side, but the choices we made today worked perfectly.”

Starting P1 or not?

Vasseur also touched upon the theory of it being better to not be on pole at Spa owing to the long blast from the exit of La Source, through Eau Rouge and down the Kemmel Straight. 

Leclerc could give the slipstream to Perez or third-place starter Lewis Hamilton, but the Ferrari boss was adamant that he still prefered starting first.

“We have to appreciate this journey and enjoy it,” he said.

“For sure, I would prefer to start P1 than P3 or P4 but then let’s see what happens tomorrow between the start and finish lines, but I prefer to start on the pole.”