Charles Leclerc shocked by Ferrari’s performance deficit to McLaren in Spa Sprint Qualifying. Charles Leclerc expressed frustration after Ferrari’s disappointing performance in the Belgian GP Sprint Qualifying.

Suspensions and hopes, but McLaren flies: in the Belgian GP Sprint Qualifying, Leclerc and Ferrari surrender

Despite many upgrades, McLaren (and Red Bull) remain ahead as Charles Leclerc and Scuderia Ferrari concede defeat in the Sprint Qualifying session of the Belgian Grand Prix. The Monegasque driver, who appeared comfortable during the session, was unable to challenge the front runners. With a gap of nearly eight tenths of a second from Oscar Piastri’s record-breaking time, Leclerc will start the Sprint Race from fourth position. His frustration was evident in team radio communications following the checkered flag.

Work is progressing quickly at Ferrari’s factory, and the team is trying to optimize the car in the garage, but ultimately McLaren remains unbeatable. At Spa-Francorchamps, the top three positions were claimed by familiar faces: Oscar Piastri took pole position, Max Verstappen secured second place in his Red Bull—though almost half a second behind—and Lando Norris followed in third.

It was a mixed day for Ferrari: Charles Leclerc managed to bring the SF-25 close to the leaders, securing a front-row start in the second row, while Lewis Hamilton was eliminated early in Q1. The British driver made no excuses: “We don’t have a great car, I have nothing more to say.” Miracles were hard to expect from the first real test of the new rear suspension, especially with only one Free Practice session available. However, the gap to the McLaren MCL39 remains worrying.

McLaren vs Ferrari, a Huge Gap: Charles Leclerc’s Reaction
McLaren seemed to excel particularly in the second sector. In a debrief towards the end of qualifying, performance coach Bryan Bozzi was blunt with his driver: “We lose a lot of time in Turn 8 [Les Combes], and again between Turns 12 and 14 [Pouhon and Campus].”

Charles Leclerc’s reaction was unambiguous: “It’s absurd, I saw the gap. We did what we could, but this gap is enormous.” Ferrari will now aim to use the Sprint Race to refine the car setup ahead of tomorrow’s main Qualifying session. A clearer assessment of the new package introduced at Spa-Francorchamps might only come at the Hungarian Grand Prix next week.