After a disappointing Friday, Ferrari finally found its rhythm in the Sprint race, setting the stage for Austin qualifying, where Charles Leclerc secured P3 and Lewis Hamilton P5. The team overcame difficulties with single-lap pace, while confidence grows for the race pace.
Unpredictable Ferrari results
Predicting Ferrari’s performance has become increasingly difficult. During the Sprint qualifying, the Scuderia’s engineers had realistic hopes of placing both cars in the top three rows—a prediction that ultimately fell short. Twenty-four hours later, despite concerns about making it into Q3, the result was exactly as expected from the previous day.
Charles Leclerc’s third place and Lewis Hamilton’s fifth confirm that Ferrari has regained the right path. The car from Friday, which struggled even considering the SF-25’s limitations, is back where it should be.
Positive takeaways from Saturday
Two key positives emerged from Austin on Saturday. First, the setup adjustments made to reduce the overly stiff behavior seen on Friday paid off, helping the drivers handle a car with unpredictable reactions. Second, the Sprint race confirmed solid race pace, appreciated by both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.
“The feeling in the car was much better during the Sprint, and our race pace was overall quite good, so that’s a positive aspect,” Charles Leclerc said. “Additionally, we collected some information that should help us be more competitive for tomorrow’s race.”
“Qualifying was a bit of a surprise considering the difficulties we faced over the weekend,” Charles Leclerc continued. “We changed a few things, but these weren’t major modifications, just setup tweaks. I requested a targeted change on my car that I believe positively affected my driving style, but performance swings like we saw between yesterday and today are still hard to understand. Perhaps the wind helped us, as our car suffers less in these conditions compared to others. Still, we saw a significant performance shift that I cannot yet fully explain.”
Tensions in Q3
Q3 had its tense moments, with Lewis Hamilton compromising his first attempt due to an error in Turn 1 and Leclerc spinning just meters from the finish line. Both drivers had to rely on their final available laps.
“We were a bit in difficulty, but in the end, both Lewis and Charles managed to put together a good lap, even if it wasn’t the best of the day,” admitted Frederic Vasseur. Despite this, it seems not everything was extracted in Q3. Compared to their Q2 times, Leclerc improved by just 62 thousandths, Lewis Hamilton by only 2, while George Russell (0.232), Max Verstappen (0.191), and Lando Norris (0.075) made larger gains. Realistically, a Ferrari front row could have been within reach.
“We hope to make a good start tomorrow and play our cards to climb the ranks,” Charles Leclerc concluded. The goal is clear: reclaim the podium that has eluded Ferrari since the Spa race last July.
Race outlook
With only eleven flying laps in the Sprint race, there isn’t enough data yet to fully understand the tire management impact. However, the Ferrari garage remains cautiously optimistic. Securing crucial points with both cars will be essential to stay in the fight for second in the Constructors’ Championship, and achieving a positive result against Red Bull and Mercedes is far from guaranteed.
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