Ferrari Admits Strategic Errors at Monza

Qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix was not the dream day for Ferrari. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, who aspired to fight for pole at home, had to settle for fourth and fifth place respectively, two tenths behind a surprising Pierre Gasly. Both drivers agreed that the team's strategy was not adequate: "It was a very tough session, in terms of achieving consistency and ultimately, we didn't achieve it, we didn't execute well" declared Hamilton at the end of the session.

The Briton explained the problems he encountered in Q2: "My first lap in Q1 felt really good and I stopped to save the tires and then I went into Q2 and I was supposed to do a push lap, cool down, cool down, push but since Charles didn't want to go out, they delayed, delayed, so I only did one push lap and that was basically the whole session" lamented Hamilton. The lack of synchronization in the team left the seven time champion without options to improve his time.

Leclerc, for his part, was also critical of the session's development: "We had too many problems. Unfortunately in Q2 we had a big problem with the battery that we later understood and fixed for Q3 but it was a messy session" explained the Monegasque. The Ferrari driver stressed that on a circuit like Monza, where margins are minimal, perfection is essential: "When you want to go looking for the last hundredths, we have to be perfect as a team and we haven't been, so we have to see what's happening" he added.

Leclerc did not hesitate to praise Pierre Gasly, the unexpected polesitter, for having executed a perfect session: "I spoke to Pierre yesterday and he was asking me some things about turns 6 and 7. I told him that with Pierre I can share things and today he beat us all to pole. I'm very happy for Pierre, I think it's a big surprise for everyone, but it shows that with these cars, especially on circuits like this, if you do everything perfect, it can make a big difference" he reflected.

Despite the problems, Ferrari's drivers received a small consolation. Piastri's three place penalty for impeding Liam Lawson moved Leclerc and Hamilton up to third and fourth place on the grid respectively, forming a completely red second row. However, the bad taste from the failed strategy persisted: "I don't think they have the best car but I think they have done the best job today and on a track like this, that makes a much bigger difference than on other circuits" stated Leclerc about Alpine.

Ferrari's goal for Sunday's race is clear: to fight back and fight for the podium. The SF-26's straight line speed combined with its drivers' ability to manage tires and energy are their main weapons. However, the disappointment of not having taken advantage of the car's potential in qualifying is evident.

In such a tight championship, details make the difference and Ferrari knows it cannot afford strategic errors if it wants to compete with Mercedes and Red Bull.