Ferrari Faces Disappointment in Qualifying at Silverstone
A difference of 0.2 seconds may seem insignificant, but in today’s competitive Formula 1, it can be enough to go from dreaming of the front row to settling for third place. Ferrari’s exceptional Friday at Silverstone appears to be more than just a fluke, as the SF-25 has confirmed their competitiveness in FP3. Even in qualifying, things were looking promising, with Ferrari even doubling their performance at the end of Q2.
However, dreams of glory turned to smoke as Ferrari failed to improve as much as the competition in Q3, finding themselves facing a big disappointment, as they will not be in the top three today. For Charles Leclerc, who ended up in sixth behind his teammate Lewis Hamilton, the regret is even greater, as he spoiled everything with a mistake in the last corner. A small error, but with such a tiny margin, it weighs heavily.
When asked by Sky Sport F1’s microphone whether this mistake could cost him the front row, the Monegasque driver explained, “I don’t think so because I was two tenths back. Of course, that cost me the front row, but now I’m a bit tired of coming here and saying every time something is wrong. I can’t find the feeling I had a year ago with the car in qualifying.”
“We have a very specific issue and in qualifying, it became much harder, there are a few things a bit odd, but we know where it comes from, and I think we have a solution. It’s more of an issue rather than a balance problem, but in the end, I had to do the job and I didn’t in qualifying. I think I’ve consistently done a good job in races, but I didn’t do what I expected from myself in qualifying. I have to fix that because it has always been my strength, but right now, I’m really struggling,” he added.
Regarding the issue he mentioned earlier, he didn’t want to discuss it specifically, remaining closed off, but he is confident that the issue will soon be resolved. “There’s something else in the car that we’ve never talked about, and it’s better that way. But, we’re having a bit of a struggle with this issue. Now, we hope the solution will come soon,” he said.
On Thursday, he was optimistic about Ferrari’s chances of winning at Silverstone. However, now, he believes it’s much harder. “Unfortunately, now it’s much harder, but the race pace is there. You have to find clean air, but starting from sixth position is not easy,” he concluded.
