Charles Leclerc admitted he was feeling “bad” after Ferrari’s “annoying” lack of pace left him and team-mate Lewis Hamilton out of contention for Sprint pole at the Miami Grand Prix.
Leclerc qualified sixth at the Miami International Autodrome as he finished more than three tenths of a second off Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, as the Italian teenager stunned McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris to claim his maiden F1 pole.
Leclerc had appeared to be making progress in recent weeks as he backed up successive fourth-place finishes with Ferrari’s first podium of the season at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix two weeks ago, but the Monegasque was hugely disappointed after Friday’s action.
Asked how he felt about Sprint Qualifying, Leclerc replied: “Bad. The lap was good, but the pace is just not at all there for now, so it’s a bit annoying but it’s the way it is for now.
Sprint Qualifying highlights of the Miami Grand Prix from the Miami International Autodrome.
“I’ll try my best tomorrow to try to do something special with the start, but to be honest, there’s not much room for improvement today. It was just… that’s the pace of the car.
“It’s every corner, really, so it’s not like we are particularly weak in one type of corner. Yes, the slow-speed seems to be a little bit more of our weakness, but it changes from one weekend to the other, so it’s just not great.”
Hamilton: We are just lacking speed
Hamilton has endured a hugely challenging start to his debut campaign with Ferrari following his blockbuster move to the Italian team after 12 years at Mercedes.
The only notable bright moment of the seven-time world champion’s first five rounds of the season came when he took pole and won the opening Sprint of the year in China, but that moment has begun to look like a false dawn.
Lewis Hamilton said he’s working hard to adjust to the Ferrari, and admitted he even found his first six months with Mercedes ‘tough’.
There was hope Hamilton could once more excel in the Sprint format in Miami, but the Brit was once more significantly off the pace of Leclerc, with more than two tenths separating them.
Hamilton said: “It was a better session. P1 was probably a bit better, the car was a bit better, the car was a bit nicer to drive. We are just lacking speed, but we just keep working from there.”
The 40-year-old didn’t appear to feel confident that Ferrari can close the gap to the front-runners over the remainder of the weekend.
Mercedes’ teenage rookie Kimi Antonelli makes F1 history, becoming the youngest pole sitter, taking the Sprint pole at the Miami GP.
Asked whether he can make progress in the Sprint. Hamilton replied: “Not really. I think all the cars ahead are faster. I don’t know what else to say.”
As for making improvements after the Sprint going into Grand Prix Qualifying later on Saturday, Hamilton added:
“There are always ideas. Whether or not they will be right or not…there’s definitely learnings to be taken – set-up changes, how the car behaved, there’s definitely work to do to pick up speed going into the rest of the weekend.”
Sky Sports F1’s Miami GP schedule
Saturday May 3
- 3.20pm: F1 Academy Qualifying
- 4pm: MIAMI GP SPRINT (race starts at 5pm)
- 6.30pm: Ted’s Sprint Notebook
- 7.50pm: F1 Academy Race 1
- 8.35pm: Miami GP Qualifying build-up*
- 9pm: MIAMI GP QUALIFYING*
- 11pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook*
Look back at some of the most dramatic moments to have taken place around the Miami International Autodrome.
Sunday May 4
- 6pm: F1 Academy Race 2
- 7.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Miami GP build-up*
- 9pm: The MIAMI GRAND PRIX*
- 11pm: Chequered Flag: Miami GP reaction*
- Midnight: Ted’s Notebook
*also live on Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1 is in Miami for a Sprint weekend, watch it all live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime
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