Ferrari endured a disappointing qualifying session at the Australian Grand Prix on Saturday, with both cars only managing to secure positions on the fourth row of the grid.
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton significantly underperformed, despite Ferrari being widely considered the quickest team over a single lap heading into the weekend.
The Scuderia’s struggles were compounded by communication issues and strategic confusion.
Leclerc, the lead Ferrari, qualified nearly seven-tenths behind pole-sitter Lando Norris. Hamilton was a further two-tenths adrift.
F1 news: Ferrari chief Fred Vasseur was reportedly ‘annoyed’ by a radio message to Lewis Hamilton during Australian Grand Prix qualifying
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The Ferrari duo not only trailed both McLarens and Max Verstappen’s Red Bull, but also George Russell’s Mercedes.
Even more surprisingly, they qualified behind Yuki Tsunoda in the Racing Bulls and Alex Albon’s Williams.
Hamilton’s session was marred by communication issues with his engineer Riccardo Adami regarding pit strategy.
At a crucial moment, Hamilton asked “am I boxing?” and Adami initially said yes.
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F1 news: Lewis Hamilton could only finish eighth during Australian Grand Prix qualifying
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This was quickly followed by frantic instructions to “stay out, stay out” – a phrase Ferrari fans have heard before.
A confused Hamilton questioned what had happened over team radio.
According to Sky Sports presenter Ted Kravitz, the confusion added to team principal Fred Vasseur’s frustration after qualifying.
The Ferrari boss was reportedly “a bit annoyed” about the team’s performance.
Vasseur indicated they had made errors in both setup and execution.
The team was also out on track at the wrong times, compounding their struggles on a day where Ferrari lacked both performance and execution.
“It was ‘phew’ for Lewis Hamilton,” Kravitz explained on his ‘Notebook’ show. “He was just into Q2 on his last run with a P6.
“What happened was they didn’t have time to box him and put on new tyres. Anyway, he didn’t have new tyres left.”
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“It wasn’t anywhere near perfect today. And Fred Vasseur, the team boss, [was] a bit annoyed about it.”
Hamilton sounded confused on the radio after his final Q3 lap, with Adami assuring him he’d done a good job overall.
The seven-time world champion will be desperate to ensure the SF-25 doesn’t become a “peaky car”.
That’s precisely what Hamilton had to deal with for years at Mercedes, leaving him both perplexed and frustrated.
F1 news: Charles Leclerc finished ahead of Lewis Hamilton in Australian Grand Prix qualifying
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The main solace for Ferrari is that Sunday’s race is forecast to be wet.
Rain could theoretically equalise performance at the front of the grid.
This might help Ferrari overcome their clear deficit in dry conditions.