Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz left everyone puzzled after both Ferrari drivers were eliminated in Q2 during the Canadian Grand Prix qualifying round. Just two weeks ago, Leclerc celebrated a victory at the Monaco GP, and Ferrari looked strong heading into Montreal, a track that seemed tailor-made for their car. But their performance took an unexpected nosedive.
Leclerc finished 11th and Sainz 12th at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, a shocking result given their recent form. Leclerc admitted he felt something was off with his car as early as the final practice session. ‘Well, we are just not fast enough, and unfortunately, that’s it,’ Leclerc shared candidly. ‘In FP3 we were nowhere on the dry, and in qualifying, we were nowhere on the dry as well.’
‘I don’t have any explanations for now. In FP3 already we felt that something was wrong, we couldn’t see what was wrong, and that was exactly the same in qualifying where it definitely felt like something was wrong, but nothing we could see was wrong,’ he added. His frustration was palpable as he noted that poor grip in the first sector snowballed into a bigger issue for the rest of the track.
The lack of grip and other mysterious issues came as a surprise, especially given Ferrari’s recent progress. ‘Very surprising,’ Leclerc said. ‘I did not expect that, and it’s obviously disappointing, but we’ve got a race tomorrow. I believe that in the race, the issues that we have had in qualifying will be a bit different.’
Sainz echoed Leclerc’s concerns, also feeling baffled by the car’s sudden dip in performance. ‘I think right now, I can just tell you we are lacking grip, and our ride doesn’t look as good as it did in Monaco,’ Sainz explained. ‘For these two reasons—lack of grip, warm-up, ride—everything around Canada seems trickier than Monaco.’
‘We are a bit surprised, everyone knows, because since FP3 really we saw we were slow, and this weekend was going to be a tough one. You never expect to go from fighting for a win and pole position to being out in Q2, but this is Formula 1,’ Sainz reflected. ‘I’ve seen worse things happen, and we will go back and analyse why we’re struggling around here.’
As the race approaches, Ferrari fans and the team alike will be eagerly waiting to see whether these issues persist or if the team can find a quick fix. The unexpected turn of events in Canada serves as a reminder of the unpredictable nature of Formula 1.
Source: Motorsport
