Leclerc only mustered ninth with Lewis Hamilton dead last<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\u201cThat’s what we need to look at because I feel like with the previous generations of cars, it was very, very similar. So, we’ve just been struggling and been poor on the wet since I joined the team,\u201d said Leclerc, who has driven for Ferrari since 2019.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s quite remarkable really, because only 24 hours earlier the Ferrari pair were upbeat about their chances this weekend following a strong Thursday practice as Leclerc topped FP1 and finished third in the second outing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But rain arrived in time for qualifying and various drivers talked about how the low-grip conditions in the cold Vegas night was the worst they had ever faced. It is in these conditions that a team must be at its best operationally, yet Ferrari wasn\u2019t as Hamilton failed to cross the line in time at the end of Q1, meaning he couldn\u2019t set a proper lap amid track evolution.<\/p>\n
![\"Charles](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763813592_685_charles-leclerc-ferrari.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari<\/p>\n
Photo by: Chris Graythen \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n
Leclerc\u2019s side of the garage was better operationally, so his poor result was simply down to pure pace, having also been at least a second off in Q1 and Q2. That is very unlike the Monegasque, who is widely regarded as F1\u2019s best qualifier thanks to his 27 career poles, so the wet struggles can be put down to the car.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don’t quite find the solution,\u201d said Leclerc. \u201cIt’s not [for want of] trying, because we’ve been trying like crazy, but it just doesn’t work.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s very, very frustrating, because it’s been probably my biggest strength in the junior categories coming up, and we are just struggling like crazy whenever it’s wet. The tyres don’t switch on, and we just have very, very poor grip.\u201d<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t the first time Leclerc has struggled in a wet qualifying session this year either, because Baku Q3 saw him fail to set a time after hitting the wall at Turn 14. So the 28-year-old and his team are unsure of the steps to overcome it, because Leclerc claimed it is more complicated than just trying different techniques to warm up the Pirelli tyres.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s clear that we’ve got to do steps forward in those conditions,\u201d he said. \u201cIt’s extremely difficult to drive for us. On my side, I can only say that it’s unbelievably difficult to drive. I know exactly what I need to go faster, however it’s very difficult to achieve that.\u201d<\/p>\n
So the moment rain fell in Vegas, Leclerc knew he was on for a \u201cvery difficult qualifying\u201d, which only adds to a miserable 2025 for Ferrari, as it\u2019s on course for its first winless year since 2021. \u201cWhat I want to do is to be fighting for wins, so surely it’s not a car I will miss,\u201d concluded the eight-time grand prix victory of the SF-25.<\/p>\n
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