Charles Leclerc frustrated after historic Lando Norris defeat: 'It’s a shame'

Charles Leclerc has highlighted a “shame” incident that occurred during qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix after narrowly missing out on pole position.

Leclerc was chasing his second consecutive pole position at Monaco and place himself in the best seat to win once again on home soil.

The Monegasque driver was the man in form across practice as he topped all three sessions - however, he couldn't quite best Lando Norris' final effort in Q3.

Norris took pole by one-tenth of a second as he set a new qualifying lap record at Monaco. Having been denied, Leclerc admitted he was not driving at full confidence on his final lap.

“There's always something more that can be done,” Leclerc said. “But at the end of the day, this was the best we could do. 

“The lap was really good. The first lap was a little bit of a shame because that gives you more confidence for the second run, when you have a good first lap.

“I couldn't have that as I had sector two traffic. But it's the way it is, obviously very frustrating. 

“We know we don't quite have the car to go for wins this year but this weekend the car has felt good. Starting second, it's going to be tricky to take that first place.”

However, with Ferrari enduring a largely uncompetitive campaign to date, Leclerc noted it marked a strong step forward for the team.

“I like city tracks in general,” he said. “I like to really go all in [for] qualifying and take maximum risks.

“This most of the time pays off. Sometimes it doesn't pay off but I'm proud anyway of the results we've had today.

“On paper, it was going to be a very difficult weekend for us. At the end of the day, it's not that bad.”