Ferrari out of the picture in Miami
For the first time this season, Lewis Hamilton was eliminated in Q2, while Charles Leclerc could do no better than 8th. The Ferraris are behind the Williams on a regular basis.
Sour faces among the Reds. Although there was a brief moment of relief on Saturday morning with Lewis Hamilton’s podium in the Sprint thanks to a strategic move, the qualifying was much more complicated for Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton was even eliminated as early as Q2, while Charles Leclerc couldn’t see how he could have done better than 8th.
At the time of taking stock, both drivers did not hide their dismay. As Lewis Hamilton stated: I arrived first this morning to make sure we made the right decisions today but it made no difference. The main problem is the inconsistency of the car: The car behaves differently every time we take to the track. He could only note that in pure pace, Ferrari is now behind Williams: If I had put on a set of new tires, I could have made it to Q3, but in the end, I would have finished 8th or 9th with Charles. It doesn’t change much. We are trying but we just don’t have the pace.
The record was hardly more brilliant on the other side of the garage, especially since the day started in a catastrophic manner for Charles Leclerc, with his accident during the grid lap: « The mechanics did an incredible job repairing the car. We made changes to the settings but it’s not clear if these changes had an effect or if there’s something wrong with the car. » But mainly the frustration comes from the fact that the driver doesn’t see how this car can go faster: « What is even more frustrating is that I really feel this weekend that I’m getting the maximum out of the car. The car’s potential is just not there. I’m very happy with my lap but I only finish eighth. »
From our special correspondent in Miami
