Charles Leclerc behind the two Williams: "A return to reality that hurts"

Max Verstappen emerged victorious from a four-way match this Saturday during the qualifiers in Miami with Lando Norris, Kimi Antonelli and Oscar piastri to secure his third pole position of the season. Mercedes, the trend from the start of the weekend was confirmed. Thus, Kimi Antonelli was the most comfortable (3rd), while George Russell had a hard time controlling his car.

On the side of Ferrari on the other hand, the satisfaction after the podium ofHamilton The sprint race gave way to disappointment. Indeed, the Briton could only manage 12th place after being eliminated in Q2. His teammate Charles Leclerc also suffered at the wheel of his SF-25, despite his passage into Q3 (8th).

"There's been progress up until now, so it was quite encouraging. But it's true that it's a bit of a return to reality, which hurts. Because 5 tenths on such a short track hurts. But it proves that we have weaknesses and that they are highlighted on a circuit like this.", admitted the Monegasque frankly to the Canal + microphone.

Leclerc 8th: Ferrari's misfortunes benefit Williams

These Ferrari setbacks in qualifying benefited both Williams. Indeed, Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon confirmed their good start to the weekend by reaching Q3. They will therefore start from 6th and 7th places respectively.

🎙️ “We’re behind the two Williams cars and that’s not a mistake. It’s fair. I was lucky to get into Q2.”

Difficult observation for Charles Leclerc who sets the 8th fastest time ⏱️ #MiamiGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/radtmjhU63

— CANAL+ F1® (@CanalplusF1) May 3, 2025

In any case, Charles Leclerc believes that he could not have done much better. "We're going to have to work hard because we're actually right behind the two Williams. And it's not a mistake or anything, it's fair.", he admitted. Before concluding: "I was really lucky to get through to Q3, I was on the verge of not making it, so it's complicated."

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