Ferrari “optimistic” for “a good race” despite contrasting results in qualifying

The upgraded SF-26 taking to the track in Barcelona | Credit: Formula One

With the inclusion of a few new upgrades, and Lewis Hamilton off the back of his first back to back podium finishes with Ferrari, the Maranello based team had a contrasting set of results in qualifying for Sunday’s Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix. Hamilton, who will start on the front-row for the first time representing his new team, sits at the opposite end of the top 10 compared to his teammate Charles Leclerc. 

Hamilton noted that this weekend had started off being “so difficult” and that he “didn’t feel quite comfortable enough” in the car compared to Leclerc who was the faster driver of the two in the lead-up to qualifying. Compared to Leclerc, Hamilton finished outside the top three for all three free practice sessions.

Discussing the upgrades that have been put onto the SF-26 this weekend, Hamilton noted that the boost in performance, although still not enough to catch Mercedes over one lap, is “a real showing of the hard-work” from everyone at the team’s base in Maranello. The seven-time former world champion currently sits in second in the World Drivers’ Championship standings with 90 points, the highest he has been in the standings since 2021. 

Discussing his chances against his former team in Sunday’s Grand Prix, Hamilton was quick to highlight that Ferrari are “in a good position to get in the fight tomorrow” especially with the strength of their race starts, one of the clear advantages they have over the Silver Arrows at the moment. 

Starting in-between the two Mercedes cars, there can be no doubt that the pit-wall and an optimal strategy will also play its part in trying to secure a race win. From his perspective from inside the car, Hamilton was clear that “I’m hoping that tomorrow we can squeeze some more out of this and hopefully keep up with these guys [Mercedes]”.

Leclerc had another difficult qualifying session despite being a favourite for pole position | Credit: Formula One

However, unlike Hamilton who enjoyed a successful qualifying session despite a difficult start, Leclerc’s Q3 session came to a premature end after he found the wall near Turn 4. As a contender for pole position based on earlier results for the weekend, the Monegasque driver noted that “we were close to being the fastest car”.

The potential of the Ferrari this weekend in the hands of Leclerc was to remain a mystery as he was unable to complete his flying lap in Q3. This crash, following his crash during the Monaco Grand Prix and qualifying for Monaco as well, follows the news that he will be extending his contract with Ferrari. 

Referencing his difficulties, Leclerc noted that in “the last two races, I was in a very tricky configuration” with his car set-up. Arriving into Barcelona, it was announced by the team that Leclerc would be trialling the configuration tried by Hamilton to see if that affected Leclerc’s feeling in the car. Discussing the new set-up, he noted that “the feeling with the car was amazing” with the new changes that had been implemented. However, he explained that the promise of the car was not achieved as he didn’t deliver and I put it into the wall”.

Unlike his earlier crashes last weekend, this crash has seen Leclerc with his worst qualifying position of 2026 so far. Nevertheless, despite the difficult position he now finds himself in by starting at the back-end of the points positions, Leclerc echoed his teammate’s positive sentiment and said that “I feel optimistic that we can have a good race”.

Ferrari chase their first Grand Prix win of this new regulatory era and with plenty of unknowns ahead of Sunday’s Grand Prix including strategy choices and track temperatures, only time will tell if this will be their best chance of returning to the top step.