Charles Leclerc listens to Ferrari, Carlos Sainz doesn't and gets eliminated in Q2

Charles Leclerc listens to Ferrari, Carlos Sainz doesn’t and gets eliminated in Q2 | 2023 Qatar GP. Charles Leclerc listens to Ferrari in Qatar, Carlos Sainz doesn't and gets eliminated in Q2.

The Qualifying session proved to be a challenge for the Scuderia, with Charles Leclerc securing fifth place (moving up two positions after the McLaren times were invalidated) and Carlos Sainz ending up in twelfth. The elimination of the Spanish driver in Q2 is a harsh blow for the Maranello team, especially in the battle for points with Mercedes, who positioned George Russell and Lewis Hamilton in second and third place at the Losail International Circuit.

However, it seems that the Spaniard made things difficult for himself.

Analyzing the team radio communications during the session, after the first attempt in Q2, the Ferrari pit wall suggested to both drivers to complete only one cooldown lap. The goal was to have enough time to carry out two more hot laps.

While the Monegasque driver followed his engineer’s advice, Carlos Sainz wasn’t convinced. He opened up over the radio, insisting on doing two cooldown laps. The team replied that by doing so, he would have time for only one hot lap.

Carlos, confident in his strategic skills, didn’t listen to the pit wall. However, this time, the Spanish driver made a miscalculation and was thus eliminated at the end of Q2.

Aerodynamic instability: A challenging weekend for Ferrari
In a more general sense, Ferrari faced the chronic aerodynamic issues that characterize the SF-23 project at Losail. Despite good levels of grip, both drivers struggled with the car’s aerodynamic instability.

Just watching Charles Leclerc’s Q3 lap tells the story. The Monegasque driver had to drive extremely cautiously, which makes his excellent performance even more commendable, despite his somewhat unsatisfactory fifth-place finish.

The latest specification of the car’s floor had seemed to alleviate the inherent problems of the SF-23, but they resurfaced strongly here in Qatar. The Losail circuit is almost exclusively characterized by long high-speed corners, which is precisely where the Ferrari struggles. With no further practice sessions available, the Losail weekend looks to be a complicated one for Ferrari. The goal? Minimize the loss of points in the championship battle with Mercedes.