Leclerc rues Ferrari's qualifying fade: 'We lost the pace'

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Ferrari's promising start to the 2025 Australian Grand Prix weekend crumbled in qualifying, leaving Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton mired in seventh and eighth on Sunday's grid.

After topping FP2 ahead of McLaren's duo, Leclerc had hinted at pole-contending pace, but the Scuderia faltered when it mattered most.

Lando Norris' pole lap of 1m 15.096s left Leclerc over six-tenths adrift, a gap that underscored Ferrari's fading competitiveness as Saturday unfolded at Albert Park.

Leclerc pinpointed a creeping inconsistency in the SF-25 as the culprit, gradually pulling the Scuderia's contender out of sync as grip levels evolved.

"As soon as we started to push the car more and more and more, we found more and more inconsistency, which was a bit of a shame," he revealed after qualifying.

"We lost a little bit the pace throughout qualifying. Q1 we were good, Q2 a little bit less good, and Q3 we had to push a lot to try and make the lap time.

"But we didn't really follow the track for some reason, so we've got to look into it and maximise tomorrow."

A Tale of Tyres and Tweaks

Ferrari's third-sector strength, a standout in practice, evaporated in qualifying. Leclerc linked this to the car's tyre woes.

"I think tyres are also where in the last sector you have the most overheating. And I was struggling with it today a lot more than I did yesterday. So this is something that we'll look into."

His initial Q3 run had him within a tenth of Max Verstappen, but a final lap improvement eluded him, exposing the car's sensitivity.

Leclerc suggested that overnight setup changes aimed at refining balance may have backfired.

"I think we've lost relative competitiveness compared to yesterday, which we know what we've changed, so we'll have to look into it for sure," he added.

Yet, he resisted labeling the SF-25's operating window as narrower than its predecessor's.

"I wouldn't conclude that yet," he retorted. "But in Q3, again, as a matter of fact, it was very difficult. Today in Q3 was particularly difficult.

"Before that, I had no signs of this. We've got to wait and see."

Hope Amid the Struggle

Despite the deficit to McLaren, Leclerc remains optimistic about Ferrari's potential.

"I hope we are fighting closer to McLaren," he admitted. "The feeling is that we are closer than the P1 now. Just in Q3, we lost our balance, we lost the window.

"When the gaps are so tight, it's very difficult to put a lap together as a driver. I think the gaps today are bigger than what they should be."

Trailing McLaren, Red Bull, Mercedes, Racing Bulls, and Williams, Ferrari faces a steep climb on Sunday. Leclerc framed the setback philosophically.

"I've said many times before coming here, it's only the first race of the season, and it's only a starting point," he said.

"It's going to be a very long season. We've just got to stay calm, maximise points tomorrow, whatever that may be, and work from there.

"I think this car has a lot of potential, but for now we don't seem to be in the right window. So we've got to find it."

With no room for error in a tight field. "This for sure," Leclerc acknowledged. "This is a good thing for F1; we've got to be honest."

Ferrari's race-day recovery hinges on unlocking that latent pace.

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