Leclerc ‘really happy’ with Race 2 recovery, as he admits he ‘wasn’t expecting’ to score points

Arthur Leclerc has become known for his inspiring recovery drives in Formula 3 after several overtaken-laden outings, the latest coming in Race 2 in Spielberg when he rose from 27th to sixth.

It was the latest in a series of eye-catching charges through the field from the PREMA Racing driver, including one from 30th to 12th in Race 1 of Round 2 in Le Castellet. That result handed him reverse grid pole for Race 2, which he later converted into a maiden win.

Discussing his sixth-place result in Austria las weekend, Leclerc – who walked away unharmed from a Race 3 collision with Victor Martins and Clément Novalak - said he was “so happy.”

However, the Ferrari junior did admit his frustration at starting from the back again, after retiring from Race 1.

“Race 1 was a bit of a shame,” said Leclerc. “Thankfully, we recovered in Race 2 and that was impressive.

“I wasn’t expecting at all to bring home points from Race 2. I especially didn’t expect the fastest lap as well, which was two more points in the bag. I was really happy with the performance.”

The 21-year-old – who was outside of the top 10 in Round 1 Qualifying and retired from the session in the second round – scored his best Qualifying performance to date in Round 3, taking ninth. And he feels it could have been even better.

“Qualifying was not easy on Friday,” he continued. “There was quite a lot of traffic, and it was quite a mess, so I couldn't do my best lap, but the potential was there. You cannot predict traffic. We will keep working and everything will come together.”

Stepping up from Formula Regional, where he finished second in 2020, Leclerc said he is learning with every round of Formula 3. He also added that it helps to race at tracks where he has prior experience, like the Red Bull Ring.

“The car is really different to Formula Regional, but the layout of the (Red Bull Ring) is still the same,” said Leclerc. “I have learned some little tricks, especially when going through the uphill and downhill sections.”