The sprint weekend in Qatar does not start in the best way for Ferrari. Charles Leclerc closed the qualifications in fifth position, also helped by the track limits that pushed Piastri and Norris back. Carlos Sainz had it worse. The Spaniard finished qualifying early, in Q2. Both Ferrari drivers had to fight with a rather unstable SF-23 in the high-speed corners of the Losail track. The many corrections did not allow him to fight for the most advanced positions, and this complicates the situation for Sunday, especially for Sainz, who admitted, after the elimination in qualifying in Qatar, that he was not surprised by this result.
Sainz called for a comeback after elimination in qualifying in Qatar
The main problem when it comes to Sprint is linked to the little time to work on the balance of the single-seaters which usually have two free practice sessions available to run. In particular, this format cuts out FP2 which takes place at a time more similar to that of qualifying and the race. During the FP1 in Qatar Ferrari did not clearly show the problems it suffered when temperatures began to drop as the night progressed and with more wind.
This was one of the main problems for Sainz, who after qualifying in Qatar has declared: "From the beginning I struggled with the balance, the rear was unstable. In FP1 I had decent grip with the tires, but with the lower temperatures I couldn't find grip". Ferrari's problems were more evident in the first sector, and then in turn 13 due to a problem that Vasseur defined as technical in nature.
In extracting the best possible lap, called for a further effort, the Spaniard risked losing control of the car several times, ending qualifying in Qatar with an elimination that would force Sainz to make a comeback from twelfth position. Despite the bad result, Sainz does not seem surprised: "I suffered a lot and I'm not at all surprised that I didn't qualify for Q3. Sunday will be complicated having to start so far behind on a track that is difficult for overtaking.".
The Spaniard also ended up under investigation after one alleged infringement in Q2. The stewards' statement refers to an irregular driving by Sainz to the detriment of Verstappen who had criticized the Spaniard's behavior via radio.
The Losail circuit is quite difficult, not only due to the sand, the wind or the re-asphalting which made it difficult to find grip, but also due to the track limits issue which took away that veil of mystery and adrenaline from the qualifying. Until the end the ranking was not certain. Sainz and Leclerc didn't have any bad surprises, or at least not from track limits. Piastri instead found out about the erasure of his time during post-session interviews. A scenario that does not put F1 in a good light. Tomorrow the drivers await a second qualification, the one valid for the Sprint race. We'll see if the hierarchies will change and if Ferrari can at least make up for it there.
