There was inevitable disappointment at Ferrari after qualifying for the United States Grand Prix. After topping all three free practice sessions through Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, the two Ferrari cars could go no higher than fourth and fifth on the grid in Q3, meaning they will start Sunday’s race from the second and third rows.
It was a bitter outcome after Ferrari had appeared capable of fighting for the front row, and Charles Leclerc’s frustration was perfectly captured by the scathing team radio message that followed race engineer Bryan Bozzi informing him of his final position.
Charles Leclerc vents after missing United States GP front row
“Too much, f***! Too much load on the front wing,” Charles Leclerc shouted over the radio. “The tyres, for f***’s sake, have such a tiny operating window, it’s s***. It’s absolutely awful. Awful. It’s unbelievable. Crazy. I don’t even want to know [the gaps]. The last sector was horrible, with rear locking and problems with rear grip.”
Those words were naturally spoken in the heat of the moment, but they already offered a clear indication of the main difficulty the Ferrari number 16 encountered during the session. They also reflected Charles Leclerc’s disappointment at missing out on a front-row starting position that had appeared within Ferrari’s reach following its strong practice performances.
The differences that emerged during the decisive qualifying laps can be examined in greater detail through the ScuderiaFans F1 Qualifying Pace & Sector Comparison, including Q1, Q2 and Q3 performance and sector-by-sector differences.
Leave a Reply