Charles Leclerc blames dirty air for costing him Canadian GP pole chance

Charles Leclerc felt that pole for the 2025 F1 Canadian Grand Prix was possible had he not encountered traffic in qualifying.

On his final lap, Leclerc set a blistering first sector in Q3 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

However, he ran wide at Turn 6 before oversteering on the exit of Turn 7.

Leclerc was coming up to the back of Isack Hadjar, who was on an out-lap at the time.

While Hadjar didn’t impede Leclerc, the Ferrari driver felt he was affected by the Racing Bulls’ turbulent air.

With Leclerc unable to improve on his fresh tyres, he will start Sunday’s race from eighth on the grid.

Speaking to Sky Sports after qualifying, Leclerc was “very disappointed” with the result.

“I’m very disappointed because I don’t think yesterday had any impact on my bad performance today,” Leclerc said.

“I think I was very at ease in FP3 from the first laps. In quali, I was very at ease with the car as well. We stayed on the scrub tyres from Q1 to the middle of Q2. We were probably the only one to do so many laps on the scrub and we were strong. Q3 I was finally going to put everything together.

“I was putting everything together until Turn 6 and 7 where I found myself with Isack, 100 or 150 metre in front which isn’t impeding that’s for sure but the dirty air on a track like this with the walls so close you lose so much. I lost rear. I am very disappointed. I believed in it today.

“I thought that there was the pace in the car to be on pole today. I don’t know if the choice of the tyre would have eventually cost us pole today but it would have been close so I am very disappointed.”

Leclerc took full blame for his positioning on track, revealing he wanted to be out on track early.

“It was my choice. I wanted to go early,” Leclerc added. “I will look back at it. It’s the kind of thing that if Isack was 400 metres in front and would have let me past 7 and 8, we wouldn’t even be speaking about it. I don’t know. Sometimes it goes that way.”

Leclerc has saved his best performances for Sundays in 2025.

He’s scored all three of Ferrari’s podiums this year.

“I am still very hopeful of having a great race. We’re making our Sunday very difficult,” he said.