Ferrari’s Spanish Grand Prix turned sour despite their hopes raised by a new performance upgrade.
While the Italian team anticipated a boost, Scuderia drivers Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc found themselves off the pace throughout the weekend.
Qualifying exposed the limitations, with both drivers failing to crack the top two rows on the grid.
McLaren’s Lando Norris and Mercedes filled those positions, leaving Sainz and Leclerc to settle for a lowly third-row start.
Sainz blamed the ongoing battle with porpoising, the aerodynamic instability causing the car to bounce dramatically, for Ferrari’s lack of competitiveness.
Ferrari’s Spanish Grand Prix qualifying session wasn’t the performance they were hoping for. Despite feeling optimistic after practice sessions, both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz expressed disappointment with their car’s pace.
They acknowledged that their rivals, particularly Red Bull and McLaren, were able to find a significant edge in Q2, leaving Ferrari a step behind in the fight for pole position.
While Leclerc found some improvement in car feel throughout practice, it wasn’t enough to compensate for the lack of pace compared to the frontrunners.
Both drivers will be looking to make the most of their starting positions and potentially capitalize on race strategy to improve their results.