Charles Leclerc admitted that Ferrari’s lack of “annoying” pace felt he was “bad” after he and teammate Lewis Hamilton were kicked out of the Sprint pole contest at the Miami Grand Prix.
Leclair took sixth place in the Miami International Autodrome as Italian teenagers surprised McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Rando Norris, finishing more than three tenths from Mercedes’ Kimi Antoneri.
Leclerc appeared to have made progress in recent weeks as he finished fourth on the podium for Ferrari’s first season at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix two weeks ago, but after Friday’s action, Monegasque was extremely disappointed.
Asked how he felt about the qualifying for the Sprint, Leclerc replied.
“I will do my best to try and do something special tomorrow at the start, but honestly, there is not much room for improvement today, and that’s just… that’s the pace of the car.
“It’s really every corner. So it’s not particularly weak in one type of corner. Yes, slow speeds seem like our weakness, but it’s not great because it changes from weekends to another.”
Hamilton: There’s a lack of speed
Hamilton endured a very challenging start to his debut campaign with Ferrari after a massive hit with the Italian team 12 years later with Mercedes.
The only notable moment in the first five rounds of the seven-time world champion season was when he took pole and won the Opening Sprint of the Year in China, but that moment began to look like a fake dawn.
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Lewis Hamilton said he was working hard to adjust to Ferrari, admitting that he even found his first six months with Mercedes’ “Tough.”
I hoped Hamilton would once again excel in the Miami sprint format, but Britt was once again far out of Leclair’s pace.
Hamilton said: “It was a better session. The P1 was probably a little better. The car was a little better. The car was a little better to drive.
The 40-year-old didn’t seem convinced that Ferrari could fill the gap with the frontrunners for the rest of the weekend.
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Mercedes teenage rookie Kimi Antoneri made history in Formula 1, winning a sprint pole at the Miami Grand Prix, becoming the youngest pole sitter.
I asked if he could make progress in the sprint. Hamilton replied: “No, I think all the cars ahead are fast. I don’t know what else to say.”
Regarding improvements after the Sprint entered the Grand Prix qualifiers later Saturday, Hamilton added:
“There’s always an idea. Whether they’re right or not… there’s definitely something to do to change the setup, how the car behaves, and pick up the speed at which it gets into the rest of the weekend.”
Sky Sports F1 Miami GP Schedule
Saturday, May 3rd
- 3:20pm: F1 Academy Qualifications
- 4pm: Miami Grand Prix Sprint (Race starts at 5pm)
- 6:30pm: Ted’s Sprint Notebook
- 7:50pm: F1 Academy Race 1
- 8.35pm: Miami GP Qualifying Build-Up*
- 9pm: Miami Grand Prix Qualifiers*
- 11pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook*
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Look back at some of the most dramatic moments that took place around the Miami International Autodrome.
Sunday, May 4th
- 6pm: F1 Academy Race 2
- 7:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Miami GP Buildup*
- 9pm: Miami Grand Prix*
- 11pm: Checkered flag: Miami GP reaction*
- Midnight: Ted’s Notebook
* Live at Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1 is in Miami for Sprint weekend, watch it all live Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports Now – No Contract, Cancel Anytime
