Charles Leclerc puts foot down straight after Lewis Hamilton defeat at Imola GP
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton endured a nightmare qualifying session at the Emilia Romagna GP before the Scuderia stars managed to claim race finishes within the top six
Charles Leclerc expressed his disappointment over Ferrari's poor qualifying performance following his first Grand Prix defeat to team-mate Lewis Hamilton at Imola. Both Leclerc and Hamilton had to settle for 11th and 12th positions on the starting grid for the Emilia Romagna GP, after neither of their cars made it past Q2 on Saturday, marking Ferrari's worst qualifying performance this season.
Despite the challenging start, both drivers managed to finish Sunday's race in the top six, with Leclerc securing sixth place and the seven-time Formula One world champion achieving a season-best fourth place.
This marked the first time this season that Hamilton has outperformed his team-mate in a race, excluding sprints, although he still trails him by eight points in the World Drivers' Championship.
Post-race, Leclerc confessed that the team's situation heading into the race was unacceptable, adding to what has been a frustrating start to the season for F1's most successful team.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the Monegasque driver insisted that something has to change. He said: "I was saying before, it's one of the races where you've got to race with the heart and put the elbows out a little bit. When it's like this you go very much on the limit, sometimes a little bit over.
"But when you are starting P11, as a driver I cannot accept the situation we are in," reports the Express. Meanwhile, Hamilton was more upbeat post-race, acknowledging an improvement and reflecting on his first race in front of the Tifosi as part of the Ferrari family.
The 40-year-old racing veteran expressed optimism about recent improvements, saying: "I did think we would make an improvement this weekend with something I've fixed. And I think there is more to come.
"The set-up was really good, the car felt really mega and the team did a fantastic job on strategy and pit stops.
"It was a lot of pressure on us with struggling through the year with the car so far, and particularly with our qualifying.
"I don't remember the last time I had a race like that moving forwards. I'm sure there was one last year but this was different because I'm in the red car. To finally have that connection, that synergy with the car, was a really great feeling."
With the season moving to Monaco next week, where Leclerc triumphed last year, he voiced concerns about Ferrari's performance on the slow-speed circuit: "Monaco is exposing quite a few weaknesses of our car," he admitted.
Despite the hometown hero's apprehensions, Hamilton remains hopeful for the upcoming race, pinpointing a crucial factor for success.
"It will still be a question about getting the tyres working in a single lap. If we can figure that out next week, then I think we could be in a good position," he concluded.
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