"Ferrari are missing a lot of grip," admits Leclerc after disappointing qualifying in Jeddah
Following another qualifying session when Ferrari failed to challenge for top places, Charles Leclerc has revealed that while the Scuderia has found the sweet spot with the setup, the SF25 has been lacking overall grip.
Ferrari had endured a difficult weekend so far in Jeddah. While Charles Leclerc sometimes looked fairly competitive, Lewis Hamilton never looked comfortable in his car over the weekend.
With both drivers struggled for pace in the first qualifying segment, both Leclerc and Hamilton had to resort to a second set of softs to ensure they got to Q2. The new tyre was essential for Hamilton, although it became clear that Leclerc was definitely through by the time he had completed the first sector, so he was able to save the tyres for the next part.
In the middle part of qualifying, the Briton and the Monegasque were forced to resort to two sets of new softs to make the cut to Q3. The two SF-25s went out in Q3 on used tyres, but the session was immediately red flagged after Lando Norris crashed into the barriers.
Leclerc and Hamilton then fitted their last sets of new softs and left the garage for just one flying lap, with the Monegasque posting a 1’27”670 to secure fourth place, while Hamilton stopped the clocks in 1’28”201, which put him seventh on the time sheet.
“Just grip at the moment. We are just missing a lot of grip compared to the others, so that’s the best I can do for now. I feel like we’ve tried many different directions this weekend to try and extract a bit more from the car.
"We are running on the sweet spot of the car but it’s just nothing anymore. If we look at my lap I think it’s pretty clear, it’s very much on the limit everywhere but we just don’t have enough grip.”
"’m not pleased with P4. I am satisfied with my driving and I have understood how to maximise the car’s potential, but unfortunately, this is the most we can extract from it at the moment.
"We just don’t have enough grip to carry the kind of speed our competitors are carrying through certain corners, and we have to analyse that.
"I don’t expect any miracles tomorrow, but if we have a good start, a podium could be on the cards. I will give it everything to make that happen," concluded Leclerc.
