There were no smiles on Charles Leclerc’s face after qualifying for the Qatar Grand Prix: Ferrari simply did not deliver, wiping out the Monegasque driver’s usual optimism. On the night at Lusail, the SF-25 appeared dull like never before. Ferrari struggled, with Lewis Hamilton eliminated in Q1 and Charles Leclerc unable to go beyond a disappointing tenth place. After qualifying, the Monegasque was drained of any positive sentiment. His verdict on the car was blunt, and hoping for a Sunday miracle seemed almost impossible.
Leclerc set a time of 1:20.561 to finish Q3 in tenth place, barely making it through. Car number 16 ended up 1.174 seconds behind Oscar Piastri’s pole position, leaving even Leclerc struggling to show his usual optimism ahead of the race.
Qatar nightmare: Charles Leclerc bluntly labels Ferrari “zero performance”
“The best I can do is try to reset for the race, go back to the circuit motivated and try to do something special,” Charles Leclerc said to F1TV after qualifying. “Am I optimistic for the race? No, I’m not, and this is quite unusual for me, as I’m usually a pretty optimistic person.”
Charles Leclerc then delivered his blunt assessment of the SF-25 at Lusail, leaving no doubt: “I have to admit that this weekend there is zero performance in this car.” Speaking to Sky Italia, the Ferrari driver continued, “Unfortunately, it won’t go any faster. We take risks, I tried to change the car, but nothing brought us closer to the pace, in fact it made no difference. I’m very disappointed, I don’t know what else to say.”
Reflecting on the remainder of the season, Charles Leclerc added, “How I wish this season would end now? Clearly, I don’t feel a great connection with the car at the moment, but I will regain motivation. As for tomorrow’s race, I don’t think anything magical can be done, especially considering the mandatory two-stop strategy,” concluded a disheartened Charles Leclerc after Qatar GP qualifying.
Only two races remain until the longest and most painful season in modern Ferrari history can finally be put to bed.
Leave a Reply