Miami GP: Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton give damning verdict on Ferrari tempo after Sprint Qualifying sadness

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Charles Leclerc admitted he was once feeling “bad” after Ferrari’s “annoying” loss of tempo left him and team-mate Lewis Hamilton out of competition for Sprint pole on the Miami Grand Prix.

Leclerc certified 6th on the Miami International Autodrome as he completed greater than 3 tenths of a 2d off Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, because the Italian teen surprised McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris to say his maiden F1 pole.

Leclerc had seemed to be making growth in contemporary weeks as he sponsored up successive fourth-place finishes with Ferrari’s first podium of the season on the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix two weeks in the past, however the Monegasque was once massively dissatisfied after Friday’s motion.

Asked how he felt about Sprint Qualifying, Leclerc responded: “Bad. The lap was once excellent, however the tempo is solely certainly not there for now, so it is a bit hectic however it is the approach it’s for now.

“I’ll check out my perfect the following day to check out to do one thing particular with the beginning, however to be truthful, there may be no longer a lot room for growth lately. It was once simply… that is the tempo of the automobile.

“It’s every corner, really, so it’s not like we are particularly weak in one type of corner. Yes, the slow-speed seems to be a little bit more of our weakness, but it changes from one weekend to the other, so it’s just not great.”

Hamilton: We are simply missing pace

Hamilton has persisted a massively difficult begin to his debut marketing campaign with Ferrari following his blockbuster transfer to the Italian workforce after 12 years at Mercedes.

The most effective notable vibrant second of the seven-time international champion’s first 5 rounds of the season got here when he took pole and gained the outlet Sprint of the 12 months in China, however that second has begun to seem like a false morning time.

There was once hope Hamilton may another time excel within the Sprint layout in Miami, however the Brit was once another time considerably off the tempo of Leclerc, with greater than two tenths setting apart them.

Hamilton stated: “It was a better session. P1 was probably a bit better, the car was a bit better, the car was a bit nicer to drive. We are just lacking speed, but we just keep working from there.”

The 40-year-old did not seem to really feel assured that Ferrari can shut the space to the front-runners over the rest of the weekend.

Asked whether or not he could make growth within the Sprint. Hamilton responded: “Not really. I think all the cars ahead are faster. I don’t know what else to say.”

As for making enhancements after the Sprint going into Grand Prix Qualifying afterward Saturday, Hamilton added:

“There are always ideas. Whether or not they will be right or not…there’s definitely learnings to be taken – set-up changes, how the car behaved, there’s definitely work to do to pick up speed going into the rest of the weekend.”