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Charles Leclerc is optimistic about recovering from his qualifying disappointment in the Barcelona GP race. Speaking to the media, including Sportskeeda, the Ferrari driver felt that the team’s race pace was strong enough to help him make up lost ground.
During the final qualifying session, Leclerc spun into the barriers on his first flying attempt, bringing out the only red flag of the session. He eventually qualified 10th on the grid, in contrast to teammate Lewis Hamilton, who secured a place on the front row. The Briton was also close to claiming provisional pole position during the session.
Leclerc remained confident about recovering from P10, highlighting Ferrari’s strong long-run pace ahead of Sunday’s race. He felt that the car’s performance in race trim helped offset the disappointment of qualifying and the missed potential shown by the car over a single lap. Ferrari also introduced performance upgrades in Barcelona, which the Monegasque driver believes have delivered as expected.
Asked by Sportskeeda about his expectations from the race in terms of Ferrari’s race pace, Charles Leclerc said:
“I think we can do great. I think we can come back. So I’m optimistic for tomorrow from this disillusion of quali, and it’s all I can think of.”
Asked if the upgrades on the car had delivered, he replied:
“It’s all good. The upgrade was significant, a significant step forward. So that was good.”
Charles Leclerc feels ashamed of the qualifying error in Barcelona
Charles Leclerc suggested that his spin during Barcelona GP qualifying was not related to his adaptation to the brakes. The Ferrari driver has previously spoken about his struggles with the braking characteristics of the car, but on this occasion, the Monegasque explained that the incident was caused by a misjudgement that resulted in him losing the rear of the car and hitting the barriers.
Leclerc has faced challenges adapting to the Ferrari car during the 2026 season, with braking being one of the areas highlighted previously. Reflecting on the mistake that left him starting 10th on the grid, the multiple race winner admitted he was disappointed with himself. He felt there was no specific excuse for the error and took full responsibility for the incident.
Asked to explain what led to his crash during qualifying, Charles Leclerc said:
“I tried to release the brakes earlier, trying to carry more speed, as I knew it was the main weakness, if not the only weakness, because we were very fast in all the corners. Tried to carry more speed in, worked out, but then I went on traction on the dirty side of the track, and lost the rear, but there’s not much to excuse myself.”
Asked if there were adaptability issues with the brakes, he replied:
“No. No, no, no, there is none of that. Honestly, I adapted very well, straight comment, too. I found very at ease with it and there’s nothing about it. There’s no excuses on trying to find a reference or whatsoever. I feel very ashamed after last three weekends that have been particularly difficult for me to find pace for issues I had today and this weekend. Everything felt really, really good, and in these days I need to deliver, and I didn’t, so I feel very ashamed in general.”
Charles Leclerc has been involved in a crash for the fourth consecutive race weekend. In Miami, he crashed in the wet conditions during the sprint race, while in the main race he lost control while battling Oscar Piastri for a podium position, costing him places in the closing laps. In Montreal, he crashed during FP1 and admitted he lacked confidence with the car. At his home race in Monaco, a brake issue contributed to his qualifying crash.
Within the Ferrari camp, while Lewis Hamilton has continued to deliver podium finishes, Leclerc has struggled to consistently extract the maximum performance from the car and rebuild confidence.
As it stands, Charles Leclerc is fourth in the drivers’ championship with 75 points, while teammate Hamilton sits second with 90 points. Ferrari are currently second in the constructors’ championship with 165 points but trail Mercedes by 79 points.
Edited by Charanjot Singh Kohli
