Ferrari in 'Double Trouble' at Interlagos After Despondent Sprint Qualifying

Ferrari faced a challenging day in Sprint Qualifying at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, with both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc struggling significantly. Hamilton qualified 11th for Saturday's shortened race, and Leclerc could only manage eighth, finishing behind both Aston Martins.

Why it matters:

Ferrari's recent struggles at Interlagos mark a worrying downturn after a relatively encouraging double-header in Austin and Mexico City, where Leclerc secured successive podiums and Hamilton had his best qualifying result of the season. This setback raises concerns about the team's ability to maintain competitive form and highlights persistent issues with car performance, potentially jeopardizing their standing in the Constructors' Championship.

The Details:

• Hamilton's Disappointment: Hamilton qualified 11th for the Sprint race. He failed to cross the start-finish line in time for his final flying lap in SQ2 and faces a stewards' review for a yellow-flag infringement, potentially dropping him further down the grid.
• Leclerc's Struggles: Leclerc was fortunate to advance to SQ3 after a spin in SQ2 hampered competitors. He ended SQ3 in eighth, trailing both Aston Martins, and expressed dissatisfaction with the car's 'very slow' pace.
• Team's Strategy Questioned: Ferrari opted to run both drivers on a single hard tire for the entire practice session, aiming to preserve strategic options. This decision, however, seemed to assume competitive qualifying pace, which did not materialize.
• Martin Brundle's Analysis: Sky Sports F1's Martin Brundle found Leclerc's comments particularly concerning, stating, "When the car feels quite good and you're slow, you're in double trouble." He theorized that Ferrari's car, which needs to run extremely low, struggled with Interlagos's dips and bumps, forcing them to raise the ride height, thus compromising speed.
• Jamie Chadwick's Observation: Jamie Chadwick of Sky Sports F1 noted the car's difficult handling, remarking, "Every time there's a replay of a Ferrari, you know that it's either having a moment or looping around. It's looked a handful all weekend."

Between the lines:

Both drivers expressed clear frustration. Hamilton admitted his season isn't "going well" and that he needs to "just have fun from" his starting position. Leclerc highlighted that the car felt "very slow today" and showed little confidence in significant improvements for the Grand Prix qualifying, despite setup changes being allowed before the main event.

What's next:

Ferrari will need to quickly analyze their data and make crucial setup adjustments before the Grand Prix qualifying session to salvage their weekend. The team's ability to adapt and find pace at Interlagos will be a critical test of their engineering capabilities and strategic acumen as they aim to avoid a repeat of Friday's "despondent" performance.