Doha, Qatar - Both Ferrari drivers, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, expressed deep frustration and pessimism following a arduous Qualifying session for the Qatar Grand Prix. Leclerc bluntly stated, “There’s zero performance in this car,” while Hamilton acknowledged a challenging start to his Ferrari career, relying heavily on fan support.
Leclerc qualified in P10, over a second off oscar Piastri‘s pole position time, after a significant spin in Q3 attributed to ongoing oversteer issues.Despite attempting a reset for the Sprint race, he lost four positions and struggled with the car’s handling. “It’s been extremely difficult to drive this car, to keep it on track,” Leclerc explained. “I’m trying absolutely everything to extract anything I can from that car, but at the moment this is the only thing that’s possible for now.” He admitted to feeling unoptimistic about improving his performance in the race, hoping for assistance from Safety Cars.
Hamilton, in his debut season with Ferrari, has found it difficult to adapt, stating he was “incredibly grateful for the support” of his fans, adding he “wouldn’t have made it through this year without” them. He reported the car felt worse in qualifying than it did in Sprint Qualifying,were he was eliminated in P18,but noted he was “generally feeling better” after changes were made,despite lacking pace.
The disappointing results come after Piastri secured a dominant Sprint victory, highlighting the performance gap between Ferrari and frontrunners. Leclerc expressed his frustration, stating, “Incredibly difficult day, incredibly difficult weekend. I don’t realy know what to say.” He intends to reset and remain motivated for the race, but currently sees no indication of improved performance.
