Charles Leclerc will start fourth in Sepang and reveals what limited his Ferrari during the final qualifying attempt
Charles Leclerc will take the fourth position at the Bahrain GP in Malaysia after initially qualifying fifth and moving up due to Isack Hadjar’s penalty. The Monegasque finished behind Verstappen, Hamilton, and Antonelli but remains optimistic about the race.
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The Ferrari driver explained that he lost performance mainly in the final part of qualifying. “I began to lose some performance from Q2, especially once I started pushing the car. The rear began to struggle more,” Leclerc said.
Leclerc loses grip in Q3
The problem became more apparent at the most critical moment. “By the time I reached Q3, it was too much. I was therefore a bit too unbalanced for Q3,” Leclerc explained, pointing to rear-end issues as the main challenge in his final run.
Despite this, Leclerc remains positive about Ferrari’s overall qualifying performance. “Overall, it was not a bad qualifying session. I think Lewis did a super lap and probably didn’t leave much on the table,” he added.
The promotion to fourth place also presents a strong opportunity for the race. “Tomorrow I start P4, so there’s everything to play for with the guys ahead, and it should be an interesting race,” the Ferrari driver highlighted.
Ferrari ready to fight for the race
Insights from the long runs give cause for optimism. According to Leclerc, Ferrari is not far off the rivals: “We are relatively close to the guys ahead. So yes, I think so,” he responded when asked if the SF-26 can challenge for top positions.
The real uncertainty concerns Mercedes. The German team showed strong pace on Friday and in this morning’s practice but appeared slightly less competitive during qualifying than expected.
However, Leclerc does not expect this to repeat in the race: “I expect they’ll return to their usual race pace. If that happens, it will be tough to beat them,” he said.
Ferrari is preparing for a race where tire management and long-run pace could reshape qualifying dynamics. Leclerc will start from the second row aiming to leverage the SF-26’s pace and join the fight at the front. Meanwhile, Mercedes remains the main hurdle, according to the Monegasque.
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