Ferrari blames low grip after shock double exit in Q2 as Vasseur labels the team’s results as frustrating

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz blamed the low grip conditions for their shock double exit in the second segment of qualifying at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Hot on the heels of their one-three finish at the Monaco Grand Prix, Scuderia has endured a huge blow in yesterday’s qualifying session in Montreal. The Scuderia’s performance did not live up to expectations, with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz failing to make the cut to Q3, qualifying in eleventh and twelfth places respectively.

Right from the start of Q1, Leclerc and Sainz immediately complained of a lack of grip as they found it difficult to get the tyres up to the right operating temperature. They tried to do more than one timed lap on the first set of Softs but it became clear they would have to run another new set of the same compound.

With these, they both made it safely through to the next phase with just one timed lap. At the start of Q2, as there was a risk of rain, both SF-24s went out on new Softs but the lap times weren’t good enough to get through to Q3. The team therefore decided to go back to the sets of Softs that had been used for just one run in Q1, which by then were the best tyres available. Although they improved on these tyres, their times of 1’12”691 and 1’12”728 respectively, meant they were the first of those to miss out on Q3 by just a few thousandths.

Commenting on his tough day behind the wheel of the SF-24, Leclerc said: “We have to review this qualifying session and FP3, as we simply weren’t at the level we need to be.

“Tyre management will play a big role in the race so we have to focus on that and will push to gain positions tomorrow. With mixed weather conditions, there may be some opportunities coming our way and we must be ready to make the most of them.”

Expanding on Ferrari’s miserable day in Montreal, Sainz added: “It’s been a tough Saturday for us. We had trouble with grip and couldn’t get the tyres to work properly. On the last lap in Q2 I tried everything but unfortunately I didn’t nail the last corner and that’s where I lost my chances of advancing to Q3.

“I stay positive for tomorrow and I think we can still bring home some good points. We will give it our best shot.

Commenting on the “frustrating’ day, team boss Fred Vasseur said: “Everyone in the team is rather frustrated at the way today’s qualifying went. Today, since FP3, we were lacking something a little bit everywhere, even if yesterday it seemed we were going pretty well and the pace was there over a long run in both wet and dry conditions.

“I think everyone was struggling a bit with tyres, to the point that even Russell’s pole position was obtained on a scrubbed set, but we struggled more than others and we were unable to put everything together to switch on the tyres at the right moment. We will now analyse everything very carefully but we must keep our spirits up and remember that the points are given out tomorrow.

“As for the race, we will have to wait and see what the weather has in store because it’s the big unknown. I remember that last year here we also started from far back and we managed to move up the order,” the Frenchman said.