LeClerc earns pole for French Grand Prix

LE CASTELLET, France (AP) — Charles Leclerc used help from Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. to beat Formula One leader Max Verstappen and take pole position for the French Grand Prix on Saturday.

Sainz had nothing at stake since he was starting from the back of the grid after multiple engine-part changes, so Ferrari used him to give Leclerc a tow on his two runs in Q3.

Leclerc was up by just .008 seconds from Verstappen after his first run. The team worked seamlessly on Leclerc's second run as he beat his own leading time and finished .3 seconds ahead of Verstappen and .46 clear of Verstappen's Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez.

“It was a great lap. I have to say thanks to Carlos for the help. It was great teamwork,” Leclerc said. “It’s quite tricky to get it exactly right, in the first lap we were maybe a bit too close. In the second lap we adapted and it was a bit better.”

Lewis Hamilton qualified in fourth for Mercedes.

Leclerc thanked Sainz on the team radio after his seventh pole of the season and 16th of his career. It was also a good sign of Ferrari working together, after Leclerc expressed frustration at team orders in Monaco and at the British GP.

“It's all about trust in the end. Carlos judged it perfectly and got out of the way at the right moment," Leclerc said. "It would have been a lot tighter with Max without the tow."

Verstappen said Ferrari's tactics were “smart” but that it wasn't something Red Bull could try, since they were both going for pole.

Verstappen was happy with Red Bull's straight-line speed but had a bit of trouble getting the tires in the right window in hot conditions that are set to increase for Sunday's race.

“On that final lap I just had two moments that cost me a bit of lap time. But