La Classic Ferrari for sale e Charles Leclerc arrived in Qatar with one goal very precise: win as many points as possible this weekend Sprint to make up ground in the fight with Mercedes for the second place in the constructors' category. However, at least for the moment, these ambitions do not seem to correspond to the potential expressed by the SF-23 which proved to be rather unstable and weak in the fast corners of Losail. Charles Leclerc suffered in qualifying in Qatar due to an unstable car, difficult to push to the limit due to the wind and aerodynamic shortcomings, but less so than his teammate, Sainz which even found itself outside the top 10.
The Monegasque also took advantage of the cancellation of the times of Norris and Piastri to overtake the standings, closing the qualification in fifth position. Sunday will be an uphill race, and in front of Charles there will be the two Mercedes standard bearers who will try to defend themselves with gritted teeth. Let's see them statements of Leclerc at the end of qualifying in Qatar.
Ferrari in difficulty, Leclerc: “I did my best”
Compared to the only free practice session, qualifying confirmed Ferrari's problems with cornering stability. Despite the challenges faced, Charles Leclerc managed to take an unexpected fifth place, a result that the Monegasque driver defines as the best possible, considering the circumstances.
Leclerc's statements after qualifying reveal the challenges faced by Ferrari during the qualifying session. The pilot explained: “We had a problem with high speed on the lap and that caused me to drop down a gear while going full throttle – it wasn't ideal, so we lost a lot of ground. We struggled a lot in the first sector and in the outgoing laps I was suffering a lot with the rear tires.”
Despite the difficulties, Leclerc highlighted that they were competitive in the central sector, showing a small glimmer of hope for the race. “In Q2 I only made one attempt because I had to abort two laps. In the central sector however we were really fast. Overall we did the best we could with what we had available and we have to try to find the pace to push straight away tomorrow. We could do the throwing laps better, but I don't think there is much room for improvement. I don't think we can correct much in the set up of the car, there's no margin to do so given the parc fermé“, concluded the Monegasque driver.
An uphill weekend
Concern is growing among Ferrari fans ahead of the Grand Prix, as a difficult and still long weekend awaits them. The SF-23 appears to have problems with both trim and windy conditions, e.g Leclerc stressed that there isn't much room for improvement in the car's set-up, considering the parc fermé. However, the Monegasque driver remains determined to defend himself from the McLarens and to try to at least attack the Mercedes during the race.
The hope is that the team can find solutions to improve the performance of the SF-23 in view of the next races which will be decisive for future objectives.
