Leclerc and Sainz gave their best in Qatar, but Ferrari’s ongoing struggles with one-lap pace limited their qualifying results.
Leclerc qualified fifth for the Bahrain Grand Prix, expressing some frustration at not being able to achieve a better result. Aware that the SF-624 is stronger in race conditions, the Ferrari driver hopes to overtake at least one McLaren early in the race.
“Honestly, the lap was very good—both laps were really strong. I left almost nothing out there. It’s the maximum we could do with the car. We’re struggling a bit in qualifying; we’re better in the race, but on a track like this, it’s tough to come back,” Leclerc said.
“We won’t give up; the Constructors’ Championship is still in play, and we’ll do everything to make life difficult for McLaren. The start will be crucial to get past at least one of them.”
The Monegasque remains confident Ferrari can beat McLaren in the race, keeping alive hopes for the title: “The performance is there to beat them because I think we’re a bit quicker than them in race trim.”
“That was the case in the Sprint, but unfortunately, I was stuck behind Lewis. I had the pace at the end, but overtaking was really difficult. We’ll give it our all, and if I can get past one McLaren on the first lap, it’ll make it easier to pass the second.”
Carlos Sainz echoed Leclerc’s sentiment, believing neither could have gone faster: “Honestly, even with some changes to the car, the tires, and the preparation, we hit a limit with what we could do in the Ferrari.”
“A 1:20.8 for Charles, and I did a 1:21.0. I missed the tow on my final lap, which could have given me a tenth or two, but overall, it confirms the predictions we had.”
“We’ll give everything—it’s going to be a long race. Our race pace isn’t bad, but overtaking is difficult, so we’ll see how we can execute the best race possible.”
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Ferrari Struggles with One-Lap Pace in Qatar Ferrari Struggles with One-Lap Pace in Qatar
