Emilia Romagna GP Qualifying: Ferrari Lacking Pace on Lap Start, Leclerc Rues Lost Opportunity for Better Result
The Italian racing team Ferrari had impressed in Friday’s practice sessions, but their preparations for qualifying seemed to lack the necessary pace at the start of the lap compared to the cars ahead in the battle for pole position.
GPS data revealed that Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari was 3-4 km/h slower on the straights compared to the two McLarens, and even more so against pole-sitter Max Verstappen, who benefited from the slipstream provided by Nico Hulkenberg’s car.
Leclerc felt that Ferrari’s ultimate grid positions of third and fourth, after Oscar Piastri received a three-place grid penalty, cost them a chance at a better result. “We basically lost everything at the launch [of the lap] for some reason,” he said, explaining that they had a slightly different power strategy compared to McLarens and Red Bull, which resulted in them losing ground on the run down to Turn 2.
The Monegasque driver emphasized the importance of track position at the Imola circuit, stating, “When you only have a tenth in between Red Bull, McLaren, and ourselves, we need to do everything perfect and the third place today cost us maybe a better result in the race.“
While assessing Ferrari’s extensive upgrades for the home race, Leclerc acknowledged the challenges of evaluating them on the Imola circuit, where kerb-riding is a crucial factor. However, he expressed confidence that the new bodywork, floor, and wings had achieved their expected objectives.
“The good thing is that everything we expected from those upgrades, we had it in terms of data. It did exactly what it was supposed to do, which is always a good thing,” Leclerc concluded.
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