F1, Ferrari disappoints once again in qualifying and Charles Leclerc loses pole. In Montreal, the issues that have been hindering the SF-25’s single-lap performance this season resurfaced. Charles Leclerc, on his final flying lap which was later aborted, after an excellent first sector, was slowed by clear oversteer on the exit of Turn 7. The Monegasque also struggled to piece together a full clean lap.
Beyond the fact that that lap was pole-worthy, the sum of his best three sectors could have still secured a spot on the second row. Even Lewis Hamilton, who had the advantage of an extra session compared to his teammate, was hindered by a slightly unstable rear end that compromised his single-lap potential. But again, it was clear his feeling with the car was worse than that of his teammate.
Lewis Hamilton too aggressive under braking
Telemetry helps better understand the reasons behind this latest failure from the Scuderia. Top speed before the braking zone at Turn 1 was similar for the four drivers analyzed. At corner entry, Lewis delayed the braking point more than the others, carrying more speed into the middle of the turn. This choice caused instability during the load transfer into the following left-hand bend.
As a result, he had to make a significant correction that limited his performance. This resulted in a loss of over a tenth. The other three cars were more stable, reaching full throttle earlier than the British driver. In Turn 3 as well, Lewis Hamilton chose to delay braking, dealing with slight understeer on entry which turned into over-rotation when applying throttle.
Once again, he was forced to lift more than his rivals. Max Verstappen was the best on exit, always managing to go full throttle earlier than the rest. The world champion benefited from a more stable rear end, achieved through reduced stiffness. This allowed the four-time F1 world champion to reach higher top speeds at the end of the straight.
Through the change of direction between Turns 6 and 7, Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari was strong in the middle of the corner but suffered a snap on exit while applying throttle. To avoid hitting the wall, the British driver had to lift, struggling to manage acceleration while the car was under lateral load. At Turn 9, it was the SF-25’s inability to attack the kerbs that hurt Lewis Hamilton.
Although he didn’t have to make major steering corrections, he again had to lift slightly as the car was “pushed away” by the exit kerb. Piastri proved the strongest in traction through both of these bends. The Woking car once again confirmed its effectiveness on corner exit, benefitting from good front-to-rear balance.
The two papaya-colored cars struggled significantly on this track. In Q1, McLaren’s rear end wasn’t as stable as usual — a factor that created difficulties even though they managed to find decent balance during qualifying. The issue was undoubtedly mitigated, but it still prevented the team from delivering their usual performance that could have brought both MCL39s onto the front row.
George Russell takes pole on the brakes, Verstappen faster on the straights
In the entry to the Turn 8–9 chicane leading into the final sector, the Ferrari driver was the fastest. In the circuit’s harshest braking zone, both he and George Russell chose a later apex, accelerating with straighter wheels. This allowed them to get on the throttle with less steering angle, reducing exit oversteer — a problem that instead affected Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen.
However, the latter two were more effective in terms of mid-corner speed. Russell’s aggressive braking approach into Turns 6, 8 and 10 helped him claim pole, gaining time on entry while going on the throttle similarly to his rivals on exit. Conversely, Verstappen took advantage of the RB21’s strong straight-line efficiency to recover on Russell and challenge for pole.
Ferrari struggles on single laps: compromising qualifying setup
For Ferrari, the blanket remains short — especially in qualifying. Excluding a few positive moments, such as pole in the China Sprint and Leclerc’s two front-row starts, the SF-25 is not a Saturday car. The engineers are constantly forced to make compromises to favor race pace, which has indeed been improving as the season progresses. Starting from the back in dirty air remains a serious limitation — though in Montreal it may matter less.
Charles made it clear at the end of qualifying: the Monegasque driver believes there’s a chance to put together a superb race. He said this based on his feeling with the SF-25 and the strong race pace shown in FP3. There’s a strong desire for redemption. Charles is furious about how qualifying went, and wants to turn that anger into an extra weapon to attempt a major comeback.
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