Leclerc agrees with Alonso: New Madrid circuit will favour qualifying

Charles Leclerc has echoed Fernando Alonso's assessment of the new Spanish Grand Prix circuit, admitting that qualifying will be far more important than race pace at the Madrid track.

Why it matters:

With overtaking expected to be very difficult on Sunday, the grid order could largely decide the race result. That shifts the focus onto Saturday, making one-lap performance a priority for all teams.

The details:

• After Friday practice at the 22-corner circuit, drivers found it challenging but also spotted a lack of passing opportunities.
• Ferrari's early pace: Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton ended up second and third, both just over a tenth of a second behind Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli.
• Leclerc's view: He described the track as "very challenging" but enjoyable, adding, "I think come Sunday, the amount of overtaking opportunities will be very little."
• Priority shift: Leclerc revealed Ferrari will concentrate on qualifying pace rather than race pace. "Our priority will be to try and maximise practice to make sure that in Q3 we end up with the right car and with a good lap."

What's next:

Leclerc still believes the race can be interesting through strategy, but the main action is likely to come in qualifying. Teams will now work on extracting maximum one-lap performance before Saturday's crucial session.