At Silverstone, Carlos Sainz won the pole position for the first time in the series by 0.072 seconds over the reigning champion Max Verstappen, who was hindered by yellow flags on his penultimate lap.
They had been started by Leclerc, the third-fastest driver, who had spun out of Chapel turn on his last flying run after hitting some standing water. Leclerc had won the Bahrain and Australian Grand Prix.
Leclerc said he would be "extremely thrilled" if Sainz used his lead to win his first Formula One race, but the Monegasque believed the team's goal should be to get a 1-2.
Therefore, he suggested that the Ferrari pit wall may use "strategic maneuvers" to meddle.
Leclerc said that his error meant he "didn't deserve to be on the pole" and added, "Of course, I'll be extremely glad if Carlos wins the race.
"However, I won't disguise the fact that I also want to win. The most crucial thing, in my opinion, is that we do steps 1-2, regardless of the order.
"I'm quite confident that we'll succeed if we can perform cunning maneuvers in between the automobiles. Let's wait and see because I feel competent driving the automobile.
Having lost out in the high-speed corners during the Saturday FP3 run, Sainz enters the race hoping to regain the vehicle balance he had in second practice on Friday.
The Spaniard was taken aback by his pole position, in part because a mistaken delta in Q3 left him dubious of his pace and in part because he ran out of energy going into the Stowe turn.
Sainz supported Leclerc and acknowledged the Scuderia pair will team up to defeat Verstappen and Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez, who will start fourth, in the race.
I concur, he affirmed. As we have done throughout the season, I believe we will work together.
"I'm certain that Charles and I will be able to fight Max, and we must also take into account Sergio's impending onslaught.
They were really swift in FP3, so I believe that if we cooperate, we can grab a 1-2.
Despite the "excellent performance," Ferrari team manager Mattia Binotto stated that the race will provide a "different image" than qualifying and he had "no notion" regarding the best set of tires or pitstop strategy.
Speaking to Sky, he asserted that the title was still in play despite the fact that Red Bull entered the event having won the previous six races and that "reliability is an issue" following Leclerc's retirements in Spain and Baku.
"They won seven races [this season], we only won two," he remarked.
"However, there were a few races where we were in the lead and experienced mechanical issues, so I believe a 5-4 or a 4-5 was easily achievable. There are still more races to complete, and the fight is quite close.
"We worry about reliability, but they could worry about it too. Each race must be completed, so let's see if we can keep pushing.
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