Charles Leclerc believes Ferrari’s underlying tempo just isn’t the difficulty behind the workforce’s latest qualifying type, pointing as a substitute to a particular weak point in attacking kerbs throughout low-fuel working.
Leclerc completed fourth on the Spanish Grand Prix on the new Madring circuit, having spent an extended stint of the race within the lead.
However the Monegasque’s necessity to pit rendered his P1 as hole, who required a Security Automotive to make the leap into the online lead of the race.
That by no means got here, and Andrea Kimi Antonelli was capable of leapfrog the Ferrari when he ultimately did pit, giving the Italian the win.
Leclerc had beforehand steered that the Scuderia have been prioritising race tempo over any potential features on one lap, on the assumption that the previous was the SF-26’s power.
And talking after the race within the Spanish capital, Leclerc indicated the hole to rivals is smaller than it seems as soon as race trim is factored in.
“I actually don’t suppose we’re worse than the others,” he instructed media, together with Motorsport Week. “I simply suppose that, typically, our automobile is just a bit bit weaker in qualifying than it’s within the race with decrease gasoline.”
Leclerc singled out McLaren’s power over the kerbs as a key issue within the weekend’s outcome, with Lando Norris taking pole and successfully solely dropping victory as a result of an ill-time Digital Security Automotive.
“If you’ve received to actually assault the kerbs, significantly yesterday, McLaren was very, very robust, and we have been a bit on the incorrect aspect of issues on that,” he stated. “So, we paid the value this weekend, most likely due to this. However as a complete, I all the time really feel like we’re a bit on the again foot in quali.”
Vasseur in search of enhancements as F1 slim title hopes start to slide for Ferrari
Ferrari have been the one contenders to Mercedes throughout the season as a complete thus far, with McLaren’s resurgence coming in simply the previous few races.
However Leclerc’s fourth place and Lewis Hamilton’s brake-related DNF signalled an additional widening of the hole by the Silver Arrows.
Crew Principal Fred Vasseur provided a wider prognosis, pointing to not Ferrari’s outright qualifying tempo however to how that tempo fails to construct by way of the session.
“If you happen to take Zandvoort and this one, the ultimate final result is a bit the identical for us, that we had a good tempo in quali, however we didn’t put all the things collectively on the final try and race tempo is OK,” Vasseur stated.
Vasseur stated the workforce’s principal focus must be on development throughout qualifying segments reasonably than one-lap tempo itself.
“If I’ve to place the deal with the workforce on one thing at the moment, it will likely be the evolution of the tempo throughout the quali greater than the tempo in quali, the evolution, the step that you are able to do by way of the session,” he stated.
He pointed to the unfold of drivers topping particular person segments as proof of the inconsistency.
“You probably have a glance on the quali, it’s true that when you’ve got a glance on the 4 stints in quali, one time it’s Max, one time it’s Lewis, one time it’s Kimi, one time it’s Lewis, Q1 and the 4 stints, and we completed crucial in P4,” Vasseur stated. “This, we have to enhance.”
Vasseur added that the workforce’s race tempo, in contrast to its qualifying trajectory, continues to be encouraging.
“We have to enhance as a result of I believe if you take a look on the tempo throughout the race, the tempo is there.”
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