Ferrari closed qualifying in Miami with second and third place, which returned the red car to the role of second force behind Max Verstappen. Although there was hope that the red car could challenge the Dutchman’s pole position, Ferrari still pocketed the confidence ahead of the main race in Miami. At the end of the session, Charles Leclerc explained how the main difficulty was finding the right window for tyre use. Overall, the Monegasque’s results were positive.
LECLERC: “DIFFICULT TO PUT THE TIRES IN THE RIGHT WINDOW”
Charles Leclerc said he was satisfied with the second time in qualifying, underlining at the same time how the search for the right tyre usage window made the flying lap more complicated:
“Happy but I haven’t changed much since this morning, a bit of work of finishing, but we are generally in a good situation. As Max said, it is extremely difficult to put the lap together; the tyres, especially in the second sector, are inconsistent.
“In some corners, you don’t really know what to expect, and this makes everything very difficult.”
The Monegasque then explained how the search for an improvement in performance in these conditions led to a few more mistakes on the second attempt:
“On the second lap of Q3, I tried to play it all, but evidently, I exaggerated a little. But in the end the three riders in front didn’t improve in the second lap, I don’t know if anything changed in terms of conditions.
“The second lap was pretty good anyway. I wasn’t very happy with some corners. But it was really very difficult to put the tyres in the right window for the whole lap, and it was the same for everyone.”
LECLERC: “WE HAVE TAKEN STEPS FORWARD FROM CHINA”
Leclerc then explained how Ferrari is still working to have a clearer picture linked to the behaviour of the SF-24 traced by the different configurations:
“There are a few aspects that we have not yet fully understood. Because in China, we struggled, especially in the low-speed sectors. There are several high-speed corners here, and we seem stronger.
“We have to try to understand. We have good examples, and I’m sure we will draw conclusions very soon.
However, Leclerc highlighted how, at the same time, progress had been made regarding the difficulties that emerged two weeks ago in China:
“It remains a track where it is very difficult to get the tyre up to temperature, but I’m doing a good job on that. Both in Shanghai and here, I am making the steps forward I expected.
“This weekend, things have returned more to normal, but it’s not enough. I have to be there in qualifying as I always have been. There are four qualifications in a row in which I am satisfied. There are 18 other races that I want to do, if not on pole, at least close to there.”
Speaking about his prospects for the race, he explained:
“The car is there. The key will be the start first, and then the tyre management will be something quite important tomorrow, too.
“If we manage to get into the DRS zone, we can try to put pressure on Max. If he can do it like he did this morning and have a little more in the first lap, then it becomes difficult.”
