Charles Leclerc says qualifying fifth for Formula 1’s Tus✱can Grand Prix goes beyond his Ferrari team’s expectations for its 1000th world championship race.

Leclerc progressed into Q3 for the first time in three racౠes and set the fifth-fastest time with a strong final flying lap that saw him outqualify both Racing Point cars.

It marked the Monegasque’s best qualifying result of the season since he claimed four🐓th in qualifying for 🧸the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

"I'm very happy, very happy with the lap overall," Leclerc said📖.

"I put everything together and P5 was definitely above any of ou💦r expectations. So very, very happy.

"Monza and Spa was extremely difficult for the ♍whole team. I struggled massively to drive the car with those low downforce settings, [it was] very diff﷽icult with the balance.

"Here we managed to put the balance right and it felt very good in the car. We are lacking overall performance to be able to fight with ♋the guys in front, but the balance was very good today.

"It gave me confidence and I could give my best on that qualy lap. But it was trick🙈y, because the first lap in Q3, I was with old tyres.

"So then to go f⛄rom old to new, it was tricky, but at the end w🌌e made it happen."

Ferrari has failed to score pointꦛs at the last two races after its struggles at Spa-Franco🍰rchamps and Monza.

Leclerc admitted it will be difficult to keep s🐟ome faster cars behind him but is hopeful of ending the Scuderia’s recent barren run.

“There’s a good opportunity, but on the other hand if we look at the race pace of the other teams on Friday, they are quite a lot of cars t꧟hat are stronger from us,” he explained.

“It’s going to be difficult to keep them behind, but that’s my job in the car and I’ll gi💞ve everything.”

In ♔contrast to Leclerc’s efforts, Ferrari teammate Sebastian Vette🌺l could only qualify 14th on the grid as he dropped out in Q2.

"It is a✱ bit of a fight, but it's a fight the whole year,"༺ Vettel said.

"We ജtry nevertheless to d꧃o everything we can, to understand the car a bit more.

"I try💝 to do anything I can driving to adapt, but I think there's sไtill more to do."