‘Not even close to where we expected’– Leclerc on sudden Ferrari slump
Charles Leclerc has conceded seventh position on the grid for the Austrian Grand Prix was the best he could do on a dismal day for not only Scuderia Ferrari, but for its customer teams too.
A year on from the Monegasque driver romping to pole position around the Red Bull Ring, this year’s event – the first of a delayed 2020 season – saw a very different set of results, with Leclerc the only Ferrari-powered car in Q3 en route to seventh.
Though Ferrari had attempted to alert for what it anticipated to be a tough weekend ahead of a major update for round three in Hungary, the results are likely to set alarm bells ringing in Maranello.
For Leclerc, though he is confident the tight lap times over a single lap today means he can make up ground Sunday’s race, he accepts this is far from where he expected to be.
“Unfortunately this is where we are at the moment, so we need to work and start building a better car for the future. We cannot get demoralised by today’s result but, for sure, today’s result is not what we were expecting.
“We’re not even close to where we expected to be, but we have to keep on working as a team, to try and find improvements in every single detail, as that can make a big difference, seeing how closely packed we all are.
“It’s tomorrow that we can score points, for sure we’re not expecting miracles, they won’t come, for sure, but we’ll do the best we can with what we have and continue to work the best we can for the coming races.”
The questionable form comes on a day when all Ferrari-powered cars appeared sluggish in a straight line, with both Haas and Alfa Romeo cars filling four of the final six positions on the grid too.
It is likely to raise more questions over exactly what changed in the Ferrari power department towards the end of 2019 when the FIA discovered a technical breach. Though undisclosed – much to Mercedes and Red Bull’s chagrin – Ferrari’s form has dwindled ever since.
The team says it is undergoing a major re-design behind the scenes but adds it won’t be ready until the Hungaroring.
