Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc was absolutely furious with his performance in qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix, with Mercedes duo Kimi Antonelli and George Russell once again finishing on pole and second on the grid, respectively.
In the early stages of the 2026 campaign, the Silver Arrows have emerged as the team to beat, with Antonelli and Russell winning one race each in the first two Grands Prix of the season.
On Saturday (28 March), Antonelli secured pole, while Russell will line up directly behind him on the grid for Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri secured third in qualifying.
Despite Leclerc finishing fourth, it’s safe to say he’s not particularly enjoying driving under the new regulations.
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During qualifying, he said: “I honestly cannot stand this qualifying. ******* joke.
“I go faster in corners, get on the throttle earlier, and I’m losing everything on the straights.”
Meanwhile, despite his Ferrari team-mate Hamilton maintaining that the sport is more fun under the new regulations, he too admitted that the Scuderia have “a lot of work to do” if they are to challenge Mercedes and McLaren in tomorrow’s race, with the seven-time champion finishing sixth in qualifying.
“I was feeling pretty decent,” Hamilton said after qualifying at Suzuka. “We’re just not very quick compared to the guys in the Mercedes and a little bit in the McLaren. On my first lap, I was up, and then I lost two and a half tenths just on the straights. I had a snap, and then it changed the deployment, and that was it. At that point I was up — if we didn’t have that problem, I probably would have finished fourth. It’s just the way it is with the deployment situation.”
Leclerc also spoke out, telling Sky Sports that he found aspects of qualifying, including battery recharge, “very frustrating”.
The Monegasque explained: “I feel like it would be quite arrogant to say it like that, but I think for everybody, going into Q3 is just not the nicest feeling because we want to be at the limit of the car, and whenever you play with those limits, not only do you pay the price of a small snap, but you also pay triple the price on the straight.
“This is very frustrating because qualifying is all about trying to find the limit and play with it, and at the moment, whenever you do that, you get destroyed on the straights. So you’ve got to stay just underneath it, which is an art in itself. All the good drivers make the difference anyway, but I think it’s less rewarding for drivers who like to push over the limit. Most of the time in Q3 that pays off, but not with these cars.”
Ahead of the race in Japan, Russell and Antonelli sit first and second in the Drivers’ Championship, with Leclerc and Hamilton behind them in third and fourth, while Haas’ Oliver Bearman makes up the top five.
Japanese Grand Prix qualifying top 10
- Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
- George Russell, Mercedes
- Oscar Piastri, McLaren
- Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
- Lando Norris, McLaren
- Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
- Pierre Gasly, Alpine
- Isack Hadjar, Red Bull
- Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi
- Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls
Topics: Formula 1, Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Mercedes
Luke Davies