The Ferrari drivers had a disappointing F1 Qatar GP Sprint Race, with Leclerc finishing P13 and Hamilton P17. This marks another setback in the fight for P2 in the Constructors’ Championship, as main contenders Mercedes and Red Bull both scored points in the Sprint Race. Ferrari will have to find a solution between the Sprint race and the Qatar GP Qualifying if they want to salvage this weekend.
Charles Leclerc started the Qatar GP Sprint from P9 on the grid, but the Monegasque dropped several positions right after the start as he struggled with his car and massive oversteer.
Leclerc briefly dropped to P14 after a visit to the gravel, saw Lawson slip through outside of the track, the Kiwi driver gave the position back to Leclerc shortly after. The 28-year-old Ferrari driver ultimately had to settle for P13, lacking the pace to challenge the cars ahead.
Leclerc struggles with an “incredibly difficult” car
Following the Qatar GP Sprint Race, Leclerc noted that the car was particularly challenging to drive in the opening stages, leading the Ferrari driver to believe he had sustained damage.
“Just incredibly difficult to drive the car. I don’t have any explanations for now.
“I thought there was a damage on the car, but we saw something. But it was after the first few laps where the problem was mostly in the first lap. So we’ll analyse that, but it felt horrible.”
When asked about Qualifying for the Qatar GP later today, Leclerc had little hope of turning things around if the car remained the same.
“Change the car massively, for sure, because the way it is at the moment, there’s nothing we can do better if the car is the same.”
Changes to Hamilton’s car went in the wrong direction
Leclerc’s teammate, 7-time Champion Lewis Hamilton, already made changes to the car ahead of the Qatar GP Sprint Race.
After a less-than-ideal Sprint Qualifying that saw Lewis Hamilton in P18 and out in SQ1, Ferrari opted to change the suspension set-up as well as the rear wing assembly, which resulted in a pit lane start for the Briton.
Unfortunately for Hamilton, the changes appear not to have yielded the desired results, as Hamilton struggled with the balance and pace of his SF 25 throughout the Sprint Race.
With Stroll pitting for softs towards the end of the Qatar GP Sprint, Hamilton was able to gain a position and finish the race in P17.
Asked about the changes and the feeling with the car after the Qatar GP Sprint Race, Hamilton conceded that Ferrari went in the wrong direction.
“We made some changes, that’s why we started from the pitlane and, unfortunately, it was the wrong direction.”
It remains to be seen if Ferrari can find a solution for the Qatar GP Qualifying and tomorrow’s race.
