Ferrari endured a miserable showing in Sprint Qualifying at the Formula 1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix, as Charles Leclerc lamented the team lacking outright pace.
The Italian marque’s struggles were evident in the opening segment, and matters didn’t improve much, culminating in Lewis Hamilton enduring an early exit.
Having spun during the sole practice session, the Briton’s last timed attempt was disrupted when his team-mate spun at Turn 10, triggering double waved yellows.
The brief incident meant Hamilton crossed the finish line after the chequered flag, unable to start another lap. He was ultimately eliminated down in 11th place.
“It [the yellow flags] definitely didn’t help, but it’s not for the lack of trying,” Hamilton said.
“The team thought we were a lot faster than we are, and we gave it everything. We just weren’t quick enough.”
Still, Hamilton, who has conceded that his debut campaign with the Maranello-based squad has been challenging, had a positive outlook heading to the Sprint Race.
“I’m 11th now, so I just have to have some fun from there,” he added. “It’s not going well for my side, my year, and I just have to enjoy it wherever I am.”
Despite being under investigation following the session, Hamilton was handed a reprimand, narrowly missing a penalty, ensuring that he will start from 11th position.
Leclerc doesn’t expect Ferrari turnaround
Leclerc progressed to SQ3 despite his spin, but he could not muster higher than eighth place, his 1:09.725s leaving him four tenths behind pole-sitter Lando Norris.
Despite also enduring a slow start to the last Sprint weekend, Leclerc doesn’t believe Ferrari can mount the same turnaround that saw him take a podium in Austin.
“I’m not happy,” the Monegasque admitted.
“The car was very slow today. It didn’t feel that bad, but we are slow, so we’ve got something to work on and to try and improve for tomorrow.”
Leclerc found less than a tenth of a second in lap time from the Medium tyre in SQ2 and the Softs in SQ3, a gearbox glitch costing him time on his best timed run.
“My lap in SQ3, the first one, was pretty good,” he said.
“Then I had a rejected downshift in the last straight, so we lost like a tenth and a half. But it wouldn’t have been much better.”
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