There is no point in hiding it: disappointment is the dominant feeling inside Ferrari following qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix. Saturday represented a major opportunity for the Scuderia to put itself in the ideal position to fight for victory, whether through pole position or at least a front-row start. With Ferrari still searching for its first win of the season after a drought of more than 30 races, expectations were understandably high heading into qualifying.
Instead, things did not unfold the way Ferrari had hoped.
Charles Leclerc, who has often provided that extra edge for the Scuderia during qualifying sessions around his home circuit, endured a difficult Q3 marked by several costly mistakes. Among them was contact with the barriers during his final attempt, when the right-rear side of his SF-26 clipped the wall. The errors ultimately left him fourth on the grid, alongside teammate Lewis Hamilton on the second row.
The home favourite had entered qualifying as one of the strongest contenders for pole position, but he will instead start Sunday’s race from fourth place. After the session, Charles Leclerc explained what went wrong not only in Q3, but throughout the entire Monaco weekend.
According to the Ferrari driver, the issue stems from a specific problem affecting only his car. While he was careful not to reveal technical details, preferring to protect both the team and the confidentiality of what happens inside his side of the garage, clues from team radio communications in both Canada and Monaco suggest that the problem is related to braking.
Speaking to Sky Sport F1, Charles Leclerc said:
“It’s not a feeling issue with the car, but a very specific problem that I’ve had since Canada. I won’t go into the details…,” he said with an embarrassed laugh. “At the moment I’m struggling a lot. It’s been happening for two race weekends now.”
The most interesting aspect of the story emerged when Charles Leclerc expanded further on the situation. It appears Ferrari already has a potential solution available, but the Monegasque driver himself decided against introducing it at Monaco because of the unique nature of the circuit.
“I think we have the solution. But for several reasons I didn’t want to try it here in Monaco because it’s a track where I thought I would naturally regain confidence. However, from Free Practice 1 onward, it didn’t happen. In Q3 today I tried a combination of different things. I’m not afraid to admit when I make a mistake, and this time there were several factors involved.”
During his two flying laps in Q3, Charles Leclerc identified a number of elements that worked against him. One issue was reduced aerodynamic load caused by running close to other cars on track. Another factor was tyre temperature, as the tyres were already heavily used by the time he attempted his final run. On top of that, he pushed harder in certain sections of the circuit in an effort to find additional performance, but that approach ultimately backfired.
“I found two or three cars ahead of me that changed the aerodynamic load because it wasn’t the same as what I normally have. Then I was already on the second lap with the tyre and they were too hot. On top of that, I tried to carry a bit more speed, but I don’t have confidence in this car at the moment. Everything was going very well up until then. I’m giving it everything I have, but when the confidence isn’t there, it’s simply too risky.” – the Monegasque pointed out.
Throughout the first five races of the season, Ferrari has frequently demonstrated excellent launch performance when the lights go out. For the 28-year-old, that could represent one of the few realistic opportunities to gain positions at the start of the Monaco Grand Prix.
Even so, the Ferrari driver remains realistic about the challenge that awaits him.
“I’ve thought about the start. But I think it’s going to be difficult to get ahead of the two drivers in front of us. I hope it’s possible. I never start a race without fighting, but in Monaco I see it as more difficult than anywhere else.”
With overtaking notoriously challenging around the streets of Monte Carlo, Ferrari now faces a difficult task if it hopes to turn encouraging pace into a breakthrough result. For Charles Leclerc, much will depend on the start, strategy and any opportunities that arise during a race where track position remains king.
