Leclerc makes Ferrari 'team game' call to end Baku hoodoo

Charles Leclerc has called on Ferrari to "play a team game" to finally end his Azerbaijan Grand Prix jinx.

For the fourth consecutive year, Ferrari driver Leclerc mastered the streets of Baku to score another pole position, crushing nearest rival Oscar Piastri in his McLaren by three-tenths of a second.

On the previous three occasions Leclerc has started from the front row of the grid, however, he has failed to convert the advantage into a victory, finishing fourth in 2021, retiring a year later, and third last season.

Assessing his chances this year, and with team-mate Carlos Sainz starting third and in a position to possibly play a key role, Leclerc said: "Let's say it's the best we could have hoped for.

"Normally the even side of the grid has a little bit less grip, so first and third is where you want to start, and hopefully we can play a team game tomorrow to win that race.

"But it's going to be a long race. In the past, we were very strong in qualifying, but struggled a bit in the race. This year, we have a stronger race car, so I hope that we can finally make it tomorrow."

After claiming a vital Italian Grand Prix victory last time out at Monza where Leclerc made a one-stop strategy work, the Monégasque knows tyre management will again be "a big thing".

"We've got to do a good job," said Leclerc. "We did a really good job in Monza, but as I said, we have to reset every race that we do, and that's what we did.

"Tomorrow is another race with other issues. Even though tyre degradation is there, it's with different tyres, so you've got to adapt to that. We'll do our homework tonight to get ready for tomorrow."