“Ferrari third force in qualifying but lacks race pace due to tyres” – Italian media. Italian media outlets react to Ferrari's performance in the qualifying .

If the F1 standings were calculated with performance in qualifying, Ferrari could aim even more clearly for third position among the constructors. Also in Spain, in the always difficult Montmeló circuit, the Scuderia di Maranello placed its drivers in an excellent starting position. Now the most important piece is missing, that of the race: Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will have to transform these excellent conditions into real points, keeping the McLarens and Alpines at a distance.

“Behind the fight of Mercedes and Red Bull comes Ferrari, which has managed to reduce by half the gap it had in qualifying a year ago: Charles Leclerc with a masterpiece last lap will start 4th (7 tenths from Hamilton) and a tenth faster than Carlos Sainz (6th). The reds therefore confirm the strong pace on Saturday, better than McLaren and first among ‘humans’ ” – the Republic wrote after the qualifying session. Precisely the challenge with the orange Mercedes-powered cars will be an interesting theme of a race that, except for unpredictable events, should be monopolized in front by the Hamilton-Verstappen duel.

“The news is encouraging. Leclerc was formidable, very good at getting the most out of the car. «More could not be obtained – said Leclerc -. The first three were untouchable. Now we hope to confirm the progress also in the race”. – Here the donkey risks falling, because over the distance Ferrari always gets into trouble due to difficulties with the tires “, wrote Leo Turrini on the Resto del Carlino. The highest hopes for a top spot at the end of the race are entrusted to the Monegasque.

Corriere della Sera mentions the good step forward made also thanks to a bad Saturday for the others, but always taking into account the Pirelli tires. “Charles considers fourth place” almost a pole “. The first row, or the third box, is unreachable, but it was known. Shooting in front, here where overtaking is a rare commodity, is a blow of confidence: the math is being made today, but having put two cars in front of the McLarens – Ricciardo and Norris (7th and 9th) and struggling with updates – is a big step forward. As well as having beaten Sergio Perez, author of another bad qualifying with the sister car of Verstappen. The podium? Difficult, but not impossible. Charles has to pay attention to each detail, while Sainz will have the role of striker to try to pas Esteban Ocon’s Alpine, which has grown a lot compared to the terrible start to the season. It will be a severe test for the tires, Carlos is a bit worried about the degradation.”