Charles Leclerc admitted he was “very disappointed” with Ferrari’s troubled Monza qualifying session despite ultimately securing a place on the second row for the Italian Grand Prix. The Monegasque driver moved up to third on the grid after Oscar Piastri received a three-place grid penalty for impeding during Q2, improving what had initially been a difficult result for the Scuderia.
Third place nevertheless represented a respectable outcome from a qualifying session in which Ferrari had to manage several unexpected problems. At one stage, those difficulties threatened to turn the most eagerly anticipated weekend of the year into a major disappointment, with both SF-26 cars narrowly avoiding elimination at the end of Q2.
Charles Leclerc ‘very disappointed’ with Ferrari’s Monza qualifying
Ferrari’s qualifying session at Monza was anything but straightforward. The dramatic conclusion to Q2 summed up the team’s difficulties, with both SF-26 cars surviving by the smallest of margins before reaching the final part of qualifying.
“I’m very disappointed, honestly,” Charles Leclerc admitted. “We weren’t good enough, there were many mistakes and problems during qualifying, first with the engine, then with other things. We can only blame ourselves and we’ll try to understand why we had all these problems only in qualifying, because normally we’re able to anticipate this kind of problem in free practice.”
The issues were particularly frustrating because Ferrari had shown encouraging signs earlier in the weekend. Charles Leclerc had already discussed the engine and floor developments introduced for the Italian Grand Prix, but extracting the full potential of the package proved more difficult once qualifying began.
Explaining the problems further, Charles Leclerc added: “I’m pretty sure that, speaking around the paddock, everyone had some difficulty, because it’s one of the hardest tracks at which to optimise the Power Unit. But that’s no excuse. Pierre and Alpine did everything perfectly and I think they surprised everyone in the paddock with a flawless job. I’m very happy for Pierre, by the way, but now it’s up to us to try to recover what we lost today.”
Monza places particularly demanding requirements on Power Unit performance and energy management, making Ferrari’s latest ADUO-2 Power Unit development especially relevant during its home weekend.
Charles Leclerc reveals advice he gave Pierre Gasly before pole
While Charles Leclerc was disappointed with his own result, seeing close friend Pierre Gasly put Alpine on pole position ahead of George Russell’s Mercedes made the afternoon a little easier to accept.
“I’m really happy for Pierre. Yesterday, during the briefing, we spoke, he asked me for some advice for Turns 6 and 7 and I gave it to him. Usually Pierre and I don’t fight too much on track, so we always exchange some information. Today, when I saw that he had taken pole position, I thought: ‘Damn!’”
Charles Leclerc continued by highlighting just how effectively Alpine had executed its qualifying session.
“I’m really happy for Pierre, he deserves it, he’s an exceptional driver. They did a perfect job today, they maximised every aspect, and with these cars, in the end, it shows. It’s great to see him on pole position, I’m really happy for him.”
Ferrari faces straight-line challenge in Italian GP race
Starting from the second row means Ferrari remains firmly in contention heading into the race, while the promising pace shown during practice provides some encouragement. However, Charles Leclerc believes the SF-26’s straight-line speed deficit could significantly influence how the Scuderia approaches the Grand Prix.
“I don’t think pole position was possible, but a better result probably was and we need to aim to maximise everything, which we didn’t do today. We’re going to struggle on the straights, we need to be aware of that, and it will make our life difficult, because we have to use the boost to try to defend, but that means the other straights then become difficult.”
“It won’t be easy, but I’ll do everything I can to try to produce some magic. We managed it in 2024 and in 2019, I have it fixed in my mind every time I come here, so we’ll try.”
The balance between Ferrari’s performance through the corners and its vulnerability on the straights could therefore become one of the decisive factors on race day. Analysis of the SF-26 during the weekend has already highlighted Ferrari’s performance through Monza’s chicanes and its energy deployment, two areas that could prove important when deciding when to attack or defend.
Charles Leclerc says Ferrari must ‘play it smart’ against Mercedes
Asked about Ferrari’s direct comparison with Mercedes, Charles Leclerc acknowledged that the rival Power Unit appeared particularly strong in the sections of Monza where straight-line performance matters most.
“I think they are very, very strong on the straights. We are very strong in the corners, but there are a lot of straights here, so we’ll be very exposed in those sections and attacking will be difficult. However, it’s also true that deployment can make a huge difference, one way or the other. We need to play it smart and see where the situation takes us.”
Ferrari will therefore head into its home race with Charles Leclerc starting third and Lewis Hamilton alongside him on the second row. After a qualifying session marked by mistakes and unexpected problems, the challenge now is to make the most of an SF-26 whose Monza-specific upgrades were designed around improving overall efficiency, while carefully managing the straight-line and deployment limitations identified by Charles Leclerc.
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