The Ferrari had generated expectations throughout the practice sessions of the United States Grand Prix, but could not translate that potential into a competitive qualifying, finishing with drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton in fourth and fifth position respectively.
During practices, Leclerc had led the first two sessions, with Hamilton taking first place in the final round of FP3, after a fast lap by Leclerc was canceled. Everything seemed to indicate that Ferrari was ready to fight with Max Verstappen from Red Bull for the pole position.
However, in the qualifying session, competition intensified with Mercedes, and Kimi Antonelli achieved an impressive time in Q3, placing him in first position, above Verstappen. Meanwhile, Leclerc remained in fourth place and Hamilton in fifth, with a pace that made the speed difference noticeable.
The factors influencing Ferrari’s performance include its straight-line speed and the difficulty in properly heating the tires during the crucial phase of qualifying. The car showed good stability in slow corners and had improved in fast sections, but at the critical moment it could not maintain the pace.
Leclerc pointed out that the drop in circuit temperature affected tire behavior, which adapts better during the race, but is more complicated to manage in qualifying. ‘It is very disappointing, because we have shown potential in practice, but in qualifying the other teams seem to have more speed in a straight line and it is difficult to match it,’ commented the Monegasque driver.
Hamilton, on the other hand, did not experience the same problems as Leclerc. He highlighted the importance of a good warm-up lap and attributed Ferrari’s superiority in a straight line to a possible power deficit in his engine. ‘I don’t know exactly what happened, but they are faster on the straights,’ Hamilton stated.
As the season progresses, Ferrari is focused on managing tire conditions during the race, while the need for a more powerful engine will be a challenging problem to tackle, especially on the long straights of the circuit.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
