While Italy rightfully celebrates the great achievement of Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who claimed pole for the Miami Sprint Race, there’s another part of the country licking its wounds.
Even in the Sprint Qualifying in the Florida metropolis, Ferrari was unable to do better than sixth and seventh with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.
At the end of the Sprint Qualifying, Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur spoke to Sky Sport F1 to comment on the session. His opening comment was very sportsmanlike, dedicated to Antonelli.
“Andrea did a great job. If we look at the gap he has on George Russell… Since this morning, he was with the best, he was very consistent, and in qualifying, he gave George three tenths!”
You are three tenths behind Antonelli. Is that a gap you expected or is it too large?
“Kimi is too far away, but we’re not far from Max and Russell. We struggled to put everything together and are still making mistakes. We struggle with the balance, and as soon as we make even small errors, we overheat the tires a lot and lose everything.”
There are parts of the track where Ferrari defended itself well. What is the main problem you’ve encountered?
“Our first sector was good. I don’t have all the details in mind, but we’re within a tenth of the best, and we are also in the last sector. We lose a lot, however, in the low-speed corners. It’s a balance problem because as soon as we have an issue in the sequence of corners, we lose time for the rest.”
Charles was angry about his track position…
“I think that in the end, when you are in the pit lane, you often leave together, and Charles ended up last. But everything was under control.”
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Is Hamilton the real positive note of today?
“Lewis was very competitive even in Bahrain and Jeddah. It’s just that sometimes he made mistakes with the soft tires, and when that happens, you often lose a lot of time and positions. Tomorrow, the track temperature will make the difference, and it will also be about tire management and degradation. It will be a different story.”
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