Ferrari enters the qualifying session for the Spanish Grand Prix with the third-best time set today by Charles Leclerc, behind the McLaren duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. The Monegasque’s gap from the papaya cars is large, about seven tenths, and we will see if the Maranello team can secure the second row, a result that would be important also considering the good race pace shown especially in FP1 yesterday.
Q1: qualifying without particular problems
Before qualifying started, the Maranello team went to the FIA garage to measure two front wings. We recall that from this weekend the technical directive TD018 comes into force, but it seems strange that this episode involved primarily only the Maranello team, and also the timing was unusual: after a little more than fifteen minutes, the two parts returned to the garage.
The technicians proposed various adjustments on engine mappings, brakes, power unit management, and differential behavior on corner entry. The first sector still shows some inconsistency, where Ferrari suffers in quick changes of direction compared to the more agile McLaren. Despite everything, the overall car balance is convincing and in turn 5 there is a clear improvement compared to the third practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona.
The tendency to lose rotation persists, although less pronounced than before. In these situations, it is crucial to correctly exploit the hysteresis of the tires to maximize grip. After a short pause, they return to the track with Soft tires for the last Q1 attempt. Charles Leclerc decides to abort the lap and returns to the pits, while Lewis Hamilton completes the lap improving his time by two tenths. The Englishman does not seem yet at the level of his Maranello teammate. Eliminated were Nico Hulkenberg, Esteban Ocon, Carlos Sainz, Franco Colapinto, and Yuki Tsunoda.
Q2: top ten reached but the gap is large
Entering Q2, the Italian team decides to delay the track exit, waiting for the ideal moment. Both drivers choose new tires, aiming for optimal performance without margin for error. The tire activation is managed precisely by both. In the middle sector, a few more degrees would be needed, but this would compromise the grip in the final section due to overheating risk.
Charles Leclerc intelligently uses Gabriel Bortoleto’s slipstream in the first sector, gaining speed on the straight. The rest of his lap is practically clean, except for turn 12, where oversteer on exit forces him to lift off. A pity, as the performance was promising. Hamilton, on the other hand, completes an excellent lap without mistakes, proving more effective than his teammate.
The gap to the best remains significant, over four tenths. After a short pit stop, only Charles returns to the track for another attempt. This time he uses a set of already used Softs, from the previous aborted lap. He completes only half a lap before returning, confident that his time was enough to guarantee access to Q3 without further risks. Eliminated were Alex Albon, Gabriel Bortoleto, Liam Lawson, Lance Stroll, and Oliver Bearman.
Q3: tires not fully exploited
Everything revolves around tire management. Ferrari has the potential to stay with the pace of the McLaren cars, but as often happens, tire behavior will be decisive. Again today, the SF-25 single-seaters struggle to maximize the performance of the Pirelli red compound, leaving potential on the table. Meanwhile, weather conditions become uncertain: the wind rises, the sky darkens, and the air cools. Rain is not expected, but the atmosphere is tense.
Both drivers put on new tires. Charles Leclerc makes a slight mistake in the second sector, where the rear of the car still feels nervous. However, his driving style remains exceptional and he manages to compensate for the car’s weaknesses. Despite this, he finishes the lap three tenths behind Lando Norris. Lewis Hamilton does worse: he struggles to find confidence with the setup and suffers a gap twice that of Charles Leclerc, although he still has a fresh set for another attempt.
With the second set of tires, Lewis Hamilton improves and manages to beat Charles Leclerc by almost a tenth, while the Monegasque watches from the pits. A quick technical analysis: compared to McLaren, the Ferrari cars show instability in high-speed corners and a slight but annoying understeer. The critical point remains the same: even in this qualifying session, the Maranello team was unable to fully exploit the potential of the tires.
The seven-time Formula 1 world champion briefly tasted the second row, but Max Verstappen and George Russell matched his exact time and beat him by two tenths. Fifth place, therefore, for the Briton, while Charles Leclerc is seventh: it remains to be understood why the Monegasque did not give a slipstream to his teammate on the last lap, otherwise it is strange that he made the first rather than the second attempt in Q3.
— see video above —
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