Although he will start at the back of the grid due to a penalty, Charles Leclerc believes he can come back strong, but he feels he will need a stroke of luck to climb on the top step of the podium. .

• Read also: Canadian Grand Prix: Alonso, the surprise guest

• Read also: Canadian Grand Prix: Nicholas Latifi's qualifications fall through

“To win will be complicated and I will need a bit of luck, especially with the safety car, explained the Ferrari driver who won two of the first three stages of the season. You can never say never. Anything can happen here and I hope luck will smile on us. »

His penalty is the result of a change to his engine components that his team made after last Sunday's Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku. Aware of the difficult situation in which he is plunged, the Monegasque is however very happy with his car.

"Of course it's not an easy situation, but the performance of the car is there," said Leclerc, who played it safe during the first qualifying session before returning to the pits since he had nothing to gain. The important thing will be to overtake as quickly as possible. Thursday during free practice, however, we realized that overtaking would not be as easy as we had imagined. I will try to do the best job possible to find myself ahead of the peloton. »

After the rain of the last two days, we expect a good day for the race, which is not entirely to Leclerc's happiness. "When you find yourself in front, it's a good thing that the weather is nice, but it's different when you find yourself behind, explained the one who will start in 19th position. With conditions like today [Saturday], there is more chance that things can happen. It's not serious. I will focus on ourselves. We have the car to come back. »

Great comeback

With a back in compote at the end of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix where he had difficulty getting out of his car, Lewis Hamilton was very happy with his 4th place in qualifying.

“It was a real physical challenge this week to manage the pain, underlined the winner of the last edition of the Canadian Grand Prix in 2019. The medical team really helped me. The car is still having issues, we still have a long way to go before we get to the desired level. »

“Under these conditions, finishing in the Top 5 in qualifying is incredible,” added the seven-time world champion. We tried several settings on Thursday during free practice. For qualifying, we bet on different adjustments. Hopefully we found the right ones for the race. »

Schumacher's best result

Still looking for his first point this season, Mick Schumacher also did well by finishing in 6th place, his career best qualifying result.

“I found grip everywhere I put the car, which was the goal. However, this was not the case with the last set of tyres. Until then, I was very, very happy and it's a great position, something I can build on to finally score my first points. It will be difficult, that's for sure. But we will do our best. »

His teammate Kevin Magnussen also made his boss happy by finishing in 5th place.