Ferrari left qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix of Formula 1 believing they can still achieve an important result in Spa. Charles Leclerc regretted a yellow flag on his final lap in Q3, while Lewis Hamilton highlighted the team’s effort to rebuild his car after the crash in TL3.
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Even acknowledging that Spa-Francorchamps does not favor the characteristics of the SF-26, the Italian team believes they managed to maximize their performance. Leclerc finished fourth, while Hamilton secured fifth position after a recovery that seemed unlikely just hours before the qualifying session.
The Monegasque stated that his first attempt in Q3 was the best of the day: “I was very satisfied with my first lap in Q3. On the second, I lost some time by easing off when I saw the yellow flag being shown at the pit entry because of Isack Hadjar,” he explained.
According to Leclerc, there were only a few hundredths available on that attempt: “Maybe there were a few hundredths to gain there, but there wasn’t much more to extract from our car today. Our pace looks solid, even though our competitors are at a very high level and there is still a significant gap to them,” he said.
The Ferrari driver believes the race will require special attention on the straights: “This track doesn’t really suit the characteristics of our car, so it might be difficult to overtake and defend, especially on the straights. We will try to gain positions at the start. A podium would be a good result for us,” he stated.
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Hamilton, in turn, made a point of thanking the mechanics for the work done after the crash in TL3: “First of all, a big thank you to the team for the incredible work to rebuild the car. I am always grateful for all their effort,” said the Brit.
The seven-time world champion highlighted that the car showed a lack of stability during the qualifying session, especially in the initial and final sectors of the circuit. Still, he considers that Ferrari made the most of the available package: “We will start from a reasonable position tomorrow and I will give everything to move forward,” he added.
The team principal, Fred Vasseur, described the feeling after the session as ‘mixed’, but stressed that Ferrari had already expected to face difficulties in Belgium: “We knew before the weekend that this would be a difficult track for us. We took a good step after TL3 and, historically, we tend to be a bit better in race pace. There is a long race ahead, and we will have to manage energy in the best possible way to attack or defend,” concluded the manager.
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