Charles Leclerc wants to understand why Ferrari suddenly encountered an energy management problem in qualifying, after narrowly avoiding elimination in Q2.
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Ferrari came very close to a huge disappointment on Saturday in Monza. After showing particularly promising pace during the three free practice sessions, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton had to battle until the last seconds of Q2 to snatch their qualification among the top ten.
The Monegasque finally managed to continue the adventure before finding much more convincing performances in Q3. But beyond the result, Leclerc is concerned about an energy management problem that suddenly appeared on his car.
An anomaly that Ferrari will now have to analyze in depth, as nothing suggested its appearance before qualifying.
“We’re going to have to look into this”
Leclerc had shown excellent pace on Friday, suggesting that Ferrari could seriously contend for pole in front of the tifosi. His feelings, however, proved less good on Saturday.
The situation became particularly worrying in Q2 when his car’s energy management began to pose a problem for him.
“It was more related to energy management and it’s something we’re going to have to look into,” explains Leclerc.
What particularly concerns the Ferrari driver is the sudden appearance of the phenomenon.
“We hadn’t encountered any of these problems before qualifying. So starting to have to manage them during qualifying is not ideal.”
Ferrari will thus have to determine why a problem absent during free practice manifested itself precisely at the moment when every thousandth became decisive.
An extremely stressful Q2 for Leclerc
The incident could have had serious consequences. Leclerc had set his first Q2 lap time with an already used set of soft tires before putting on new tires for his last attempt.
In theory, this second lap should have allowed him to easily improve his reference time and secure his presence in Q3.
Yet it was precisely at that moment that his battery problem proved most penalizing.
“Yes, it was particularly stressful because I started my last Q2 lap on new tires and that’s when I encountered the biggest problem with the battery,” recounts the Monegasque.
Result: despite more performing tires, Leclerc did not manage to improve his lap time.
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“My lap time was absolutely not up to par. So I was hoping my first lap time would be enough to get into Q3, which fortunately was the case.”
Ferrari narrowly avoided disaster
Leclerc was not the only Ferrari driver in difficulty. Hamilton also dangerously flirted with elimination.
The Briton saved his place in Q3 by just a thousandth against Gabriel Bortoleto. The two red cars finally finished Q2 in ninth and tenth positions, very far from the serenity expected after their pace shown during free practice.
For Ferrari, a double elimination or even the loss of one of its cars before Q3 would have constituted a huge setback at home.
“It really wasn’t pleasant to find ourselves in this position, especially here in Monza,” admits Leclerc.
Leclerc suddenly finds his pace in Q3
The most surprising thing remains the transformation observed a few minutes later.
After being on the verge of disappearing in Q2, Leclerc found a much more competitive Ferrari in the last part of qualifying. The Monegasque even placed himself among the outsiders for pole.
During the first attempt in Q3, he was only a few hundredths behind the best reference. He ultimately failed to convert this speed into pole position, but his performance allowed him to stay at the forefront.
Initially fourth in qualifying, Leclerc finally gains a position on the grid thanks to the three-place penalty inflicted on Oscar Piastri for impeding Liam Lawson.
He will therefore start third on Sunday, just ahead of Hamilton.
Ferrari must understand before the race
The starting position of the two Ferraris is ultimately excellent, but Leclerc does not want this result to mask the difficulties encountered on Saturday.
Energy management is particularly important in Monza, where long straights require all available electrical power to maximize acceleration and top speed.
An anomaly in this area can therefore quickly cost several tenths and make a car vulnerable.
Ferrari now has a few hours to analyze the data and understand precisely why the problem appeared in qualifying.
Leclerc and Hamilton will start just behind Pierre Gasly and George Russell, offering the Scuderia a real opportunity to play for victory in front of its home crowd.
But before dreaming of a home success, Ferrari will have to ensure that the mysterious energy management problem encountered by Leclerc does not reappear during the 53 laps of the Italian Grand Prix.
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