Why it matters:
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc's disappointing P6 qualifying at the Dutch Grand Prix highlights the team's ongoing struggles, despite his recent pole position in Hungary.
The details:
- Leclerc's self-assessment: 샤를 르클레르 finished P6 in qualifying, well off the pace of pole-sitter 오스카 피아스트리. He expressed deep personal disappointment to Sky Sports, stating, "I'm very disappointed with myself, to be honest. I haven't done the job today and I've been very poor."
- Car performance: Despite "a lot" of overnight changes, Leclerc noted little improvement. He felt the SF-25 was "a lot" different from the Hungarian Grand Prix, and Ferrari was consistently losing significant lap time in two to three corners.
- Consistency issues: Leclerc attributed his struggles to trying to "chase something that maybe wasn't in the car this weekend," which hurt his consistency. He specifically highlighted his dissatisfaction with his Q3 lap.
Meanwhile:
루이스 해밀턴, Leclerc's teammate, will start seventh. Despite being outqualified by Leclerc, Hamilton was more upbeat, marking his first Q3 appearance since the British Grand Prix in July, indicating some progress for his side of the garage.
The big picture:
- Ferrari's deficit: Hamilton acknowledged the significant deficit to 맥라렌, noting Ferrari was "seven tenths off, six-and-a-half tenths off in qualifying on a track like this." He suggested the biggest limit is a combination of factors, including the need for more load to carry speed through corners.
- McLaren's advantage: Hamilton speculated that 맥라렌 might have more downforce without being draggy, or they could be getting their tires into a better operating window. He also pointed out Ferrari's car sensitivity to wind conditions, which were tricky at Zandvoort.
Ferrari's challenging season continues as they seek to understand and address their performance gap, particularly against leading rivals like 맥라렌.