Leclerc will start tomorrow’s Sprint race from the fourth row, with Hamilton on the Sixth.
FP1
- Charles and Lewis got through the planned programme without any problems, using only the C2 compound, the hardest that Pirelli has brought to Brazil.
- The track was initially very dirty and even by the end, the grip level was quite low.
- The two SF-25s ran slightly different aero configurations, in order to acquire more data in the only hour of track action prior to Sprint Qualifying.
SQ1
- As per the regulations, all cars were on Medium tyres.
- With a lap taking less than 70 seconds, with a surface in a constant state of evolution, the times were extremely close. Both Scuderia Ferrari HP drivers made the cut with the time set on their third and last flying lap.
SQ2
- Same in this session, the rules require use of the Medium compound.
- Once again, the order was decided by thousandths of a second. Charles made the cut despite a spin on his last run, while Lewis was running right behind him as the yellow flags came out, which meant he was the fastest to lose out, with the eleventh best time.
SQ3
- Time for the remaining ten drivers to run Softs.
- With such a short lap, all drivers were able to do two runs on the one set of tyres. Charles set his best time at his first attempt, failing to improve on his second.
- The Sprint Race, run over 24 laps, gets underway tomorrow at 11 local (15 CET), after which teams can work on the cars to prepare for the Grand Prix qualifying which starts at 15 local (19 CET).
Charles Leclerc #16
It was a tricky qualifying for us today, from SQ1 to SQ3. The car felt alright, but we didn’t have the performance we needed, so we have some work to do and improvements to make going forward. I don’t think that we are off in terms of set-up, so we will see how things go. We will be back for the Sprint and try to turn things around tomorrow.
Lewis Hamilton #44
Despite everyone’s best efforts, today obviously didn’t work out as planned due to events that were ultimately out of our control. We’ve made good progress in recent races and built solid momentum, so it was a shame not to see that reflected in today’s results, but I’m confident we’ll recover. The focus now is learning from the day, and coming back stronger for the rest of the weekend.
