Ferrari struggled in the wet weather conditions of the F1 Las Vegas GP Qualifying, with Leclerc starting the race from P9. The Monegasque driver struggled for grip throughout the session, locking up into Turn 14 on his final flying lap of Q3. Teammate Lewis Hamilton qualified P20, marking a disappointing result for the scarlet team.
In the print media pen, Leclerc discussed Ferrari’s difficulties in wet weather conditions.
“Unfortunately, since I’m in Ferrari that we are struggling massively in the wet. We don’t quite find the solution. It’s not a fault that we are not trying because we’ve been trying like crazy, but it just doesn’t work. And it’s very frustrating because it’s been probably my biggest strength in the junior categories coming up and we are just struggling like crazy whenever it’s wet.
“The tyres don’t switch on and we just have very, very poor grip.“
When asked if Ferrari’s difficulties may be related to tyre preparation, Leclerc responded, “I don’t think it’s only that, because we’ve been trying things on the tyre warm-up as well in the past and it didn’t work. So it’s frustrating.”
Wet weather conditions
The F1 Las Vegas GP saw its first competitive session in wet weather conditions, catching many by surprise. When asked how he felt about the track’s condition in the wet, Leclerc responded, “Not nice, not nice. Especially when our car is very, very difficult to drive.
“Plus here in Vegas on a street track, by night, cold conditions, wet conditions, everything is adding up for it to be a very difficult qualifying session. But yeah, it’s the way it is.”
Given the colder conditions at the F1 Las Vegas GP, some drivers recommended repaving the surface to better accommodate wet weather in the future. However, Leclerc emphasized that the team’s focus should remain on their car’s competitiveness.
“Before looking at those things, I wish I was at least as competitive as the guy in front because there’s such a gap that honestly, I’m pretty sure it probably feels quite a lot better for them than it does for us.
“I just hope we can find a solution and then we’ll think about those sort of things.”
Ferrari unprepared for full wet running at F1 Las Vegas GP
Ferrari appeared competitive during dry-run sessions, with Leclerc going fastest in Free Practice 1. Unfortunately, Leclerc admitted the team did not try running different set-ups this weekend, leaving them unprepared for a wet qualifying at the F1 Las Vegas GP.
“Actually in FP1 and FP2 we were quite competitive. Then in FP3 we had some wet running, but it was not clearly wet and we weren’t too bad actually. And then now that it was fully wet, there was no way to change the car by now.
“So no, we haven’t changed anything necessarily this weekend just because we couldn’t.”
Leclerc: “It’s extremely difficult to drive for us”
While Ferrari struggled in qualifying at the F1 Las Vegas GP, Leclerc’s former teammate impressed in mixed weather conditions. Carlos Sainz scored a top-three finish ahead of both Ferraris. Leclerc used the moment to illustrate their car’s difficulties in wet weather conditions.
“We’ve had Lewis [Hamilton] in the team, we’ve had Carlos [Sainz] in the team as well, which we have obviously seen what it’s like to be driving other cars in those conditions. It’s clear that we’ve got to do steps forward in those conditions. It’s extremely difficult to drive for us.
“On my side, I can only say that it’s unbelievably difficult to drive. I know exactly what I need to do to go faster. However, it’s very difficult to achieve that. But we’ll keep trying.”
Even with regulation changes on the horizon, Leclerc admitted that Ferrari’s wet weather capabilities have been an issue across regulation cycles, “I feel like with the previous generations of cars, it was very, very similar. We’ve just been struggling and been poor in the wet since I joined the team.”
Battle for P2 in the World Constructors’ Championship
After a double DNF in Brazil, Ferrari fell from P3 to P4 in the WCC, sitting behind Red Bull Racing by four points. Leclerc expressed his disappointment in the car’s performance after qualifying poorly at the F1 Las Vegas GP.
“We’re fighting for third, or maybe second. But honestly, second is going to be difficult for the Constructors’ [Championship]. What I want to do is to be fighting for wins. So surely it’s not a car we’ll miss.”
The Monegasque driver remained unenthusiastic about the team’s chances for big points tomorrow, as the car had been set up for the mixed weather conditions of qualifying.
“I will try to do something special happen anyway. The thing is that we have quite a high downforce, which was supposed to help us in those conditions. It’s not like we’re starting that much further up.
“So, yeah, it’s going to be tough to overtake.”
