Charles Leclerc admitted that Ferrari endured an “extremely tough” qualifying session in Las Vegas, with him starting only ninth and teammate Lewis Hamilton down in 20th. The poor result dealt a major setback to Ferrari’s pursuit of second place in the constructors’ standings.
Leclerc pointed out that Hamilton’s feedback about the car echoed the same concerns previously raised by Carlos Sainz, suggesting a clear pattern in driver frustration with the SF-25’s behaviour.
This latest disappointment comes on the heels of a disastrous double DNF in Sao Paulo, which had already left Ferrari as clear underdogs in the fight against Mercedes. Their deficit of 36 points now looks even harder to overcome.
The team’s struggles in recent races mark a significant decline, putting them dangerously close to their weakest overall performance since the introduction of ground-effect regulations.
Despite the setbacks, Leclerc remains focused on salvaging points in the race, though he admitted the team faces an uphill battle after such a damaging qualifying outcome.
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