The recent Formula 1 qualifying round in China has laid bare the performance gap between the Scuderia Ferrari and the leading McLaren team, according to Ferrari racer, Charles Leclerc. Despite a promising show of form from Leclerc’s team-mate, Lewis Hamilton, who secured pole position and triumphed in both Sprint sessions in Shanghai, Saturday’s qualifying session painted a less rosy picture for the Italian racing giant.
During the qualifying event, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri snatched the pole position, leaving Hamilton and Leclerc to settle for fifth and sixth fastest, lagging behind by two and three-tenths respectively. Leclerc grudgingly conceded that this result accurately reflects Ferrari’s current performance level, suggesting that Hamilton’s earlier Sprint success could be seen as an outlier.
Leclerc explained that while Ferrari’s performance in China was better than their underwhelming performance in Australia, it still fell short of Hamilton’s exceptional Sprint results. He stated, “This afternoon I think the potential was just not there,” as quoted by Autosport, “The overall grip was just not there, and I think in Australia I felt like we didn’t do a great job in qualifying, and we were further away than what we thought but, if we had put everything together, I think we were expecting to be three tenths off.”
The Monegasque driver firmly believes that the three-tenth gap witnessed on Saturday is a true reflection of their current standing in the racing pecking order. However, he refuses to be disheartened, insisting that there might still be some untapped potential in his Ferrari machine, albeit not to the tune of three-tenths.
Leclerc’s focus now is on deciphering why Ferrari’s performance in China was two tenths shy of polesitter Oscar Piastri’s. This fact is of paramount importance to the Ferrari team, as understanding its current deficit to McLaren is crucial for future improvements.
While Hamilton has been the star for Ferrari in China, Leclerc has been a strong support act. This dynamic was evident in the qualifying session for Sunday’s main event, where Leclerc trailed his new Scuderia companion by one place and one-tenth. Still, Leclerc is confident that he put in his best performance, underscoring the importance of the team’s understanding of its performance gap to McLaren.
“I don’t think there was anything more. Being in front of Lewis or being behind, that doesn’t really matter, because as a team we start next to each other,” he shared. “As a team, I think we maximised the potential of the car, but the most important thing is that we understand where the potential of the car has gone.”
Leclerc also noted a significant drop in Ferrari’s pace compared to the Sprint Qualifying round, where they were much faster. He emphasized that both he and Hamilton performed well during the qualifying rounds, but their speed just wasn’t up to par with the competition.
In conclusion, Ferrari’s qualifying performance in China has brought the team’s current performance gap to McLaren into sharp focus. As they look forward to future races, understanding this gap and unlocking the full potential of their machines will be crucial for Ferrari if they hope to challenge McLaren’s dominance in the forthcoming races.
