Leclerc Laments Ferrari’s ‘Too Much’ Qualifying Deficit at Dutch Grand Prix: A Struggle for Pace and Performance

‘It’s excessive’ – Charles Leclerc expresses frustration over Ferrari’s significant shortfall in qualifying

Charles Leclerc acknowledges that Ferrari's lag behind the frontrunners during the Dutch Grand Prix qualifying is just "excessive."

Charles Leclerc believes that the difference in performance between Ferrari and their competitors during the Dutch Grand Prix qualifying is excessively large, highlighting the team's current struggles.

Ferrari had difficulty keeping up during the qualifying session at Zandvoort, and Leclerc managed to secure only the sixth spot on the starting grid. His lap time was almost a full second slower than that of McLaren's Lando Norris, who earned the pole position.

In the meantime, Carlos Sainz had a disastrous session and was knocked out in Q2 after posting a time that left him in 11th place.

Leclerc mentioned that their lap was decent, but they are unfortunately nine-tenths of a second behind, which is quite significant on such a short track. He acknowledged that the team understands their performance is lacking and emphasized that they are putting in maximum effort to improve.

"I regret having to reiterate the same points over the past few months, but that's the situation we currently face, and we are making every effort to bridge that gap swiftly."

“We’re optimistic that the improvements we plan to introduce to the car, ideally in the near future, will assist us in narrowing the distance.”

Although Leclerc notices indications that Ferrari is on the mend, he remains skeptical about the team's ability to close the gap with their competitors by the conclusion of the 2024 season.

“There’s a plan,” he mentioned. “When I notice a significant gap like today, nearly 90%, it’s considerable, and I’m uncertain if we can maintain that until the season concludes, but we’ll have to wait and see.

"I believe that this type of track isn't suitable for our car, and the performance difference here is likely more pronounced than it would be on other tracks with the same vehicle."

"Today has been especially challenging for us, but I am optimistic that things will improve starting from Monza."

Leclerc anticipates difficulties in gaining any positions during Sunday’s grand prix.

"The expectations aren't very high. I believe achieving sixth place is the best outcome we can aim for this weekend," he mentioned.

"Lewis is likely to be very strong given his race pace, and he might make a comeback. As for us, our race pace isn't quite enough to achieve anything better, but if a chance arises, I'll definitely try to seize it."

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