Felipe Massa admits ‘incredible’ F1 driver was the ‘master of qualifying’ last year

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Felipe Massa has admitted that Ferrari star Charles Leclerc is an expert in qualifying and is absolutely elite over a single lap.

Although Charles Leclerc’s record of converting pole positions into race wins has been questioned, it’s undeniable that he’s always a threat on a Saturday.

Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, Felipe Massa was raving about the 26-year-old driver and previewing his upcoming campaign.

With so much uncertainty surrounding the grid right now, Leclerc’s future might be sewn up earlier than most.

His contract expires at the end of the year, but an announcement of a new deal might come alongside the car’s launch next month.

It would be a huge boost for Ferrari who will see Leclerc as their best chance of winning a coveted title.

They haven’t won that sort of silverware since 2008 when they won the Constructors’ Championship and a certain Felipe Massa just missed out on winning the driver’s title.

Massa has now been talking about Leclerc and his uncanny ability to get the best out of his Ferrari in qualifying.

Only Max Verstappen achieved more pole positions last season in a far superior car.

Unfortunately, every chance Leclerc gave himself to win a race from the front ended in disaster.

The worst example of this was in Sao Paulo when he crashed into the barriers on the formation lap following a technical fault with the car.

Massa raves about Leclerc’s qualifying ability

Speaking about the Monegasque driver, Massa said: “I see Leclerc as having a slight advantage. In 2023 he had incredible races, emerging in the second part of the season.

“He is a master of qualifying because he always manages to get the most out of the car in a single lap.

“It’s true, he also made some mistakes, but when you have a lot of pressure and few opportunities to win, it’s easier to make mistakes.”

Leclerc sits 14^th in the all-time list of most pole positions in Formula 1, backing up Massa’s assertion that he’s an expert in qualifying.

He overtook Fernando Alonso last season and is one pole away from matching the record of Niki Lauda and Nelson Piquet.

Martin Brundle said last season that Leclerc could be even faster than Verstappen which is a huge claim.

Ferrari now just need to provide him with a car that can help him challenge for wins as well as pole positions.