‘Night and day different’ – why did Ferrari's pace evaporate again?

Ferrari's wait for a first Grand Prix pole position since August 2025 continued in the United States on Saturday as Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton qualified outside the top three in a session they had been widely tipped as favourites for.

For the first time this season, Ferrari went into qualifying having Ferrari topped all three practice sessions in Austin, on a weekend their car features the team's final significant upgrade of the season.

Leclerc finished second fastest to McLaren's Lando Norris in Q1, but only after the McLaren driver took a second run to do so, and then was then back at the head of the field in Q2.

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But the Scuderia found themselves on the back foot immediately from the start of Q3 with Leclerc holding a provisional fourth and Hamilton sixth after the first runs of the decisive final phase.

Hamilton improved one place to fifth on his final run, but Leclerc stayed where he was, to leave the Ferraris behind the two Red Bull drivers and Mercedes polesitter Kimi Antonelli for the start of Sunday's 56-lap race.

Team principal Frederic Vasseur told Sky Sports F1: "Bit of mixed feelings for sure. The potential was there over the weekend. We had good pace in free practice.

"Until the last corner we are fighting for pole but it is like it is."

So where did Ferrari's pace go?

On team radio after ending up fifth, 0.276s away from pole, a bemused Hamilton said: "These guys must be turning up for that last Q3 because where did that time go?"

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 afterwards, Hamilton said that his car's handling had felt consistent through all three sessions, instead suspecting that the team's straight-line speed deficit had again played a central role.

"We did a really good job overnight. The car felt really good in FP3 - competitive," said Hamilton, who had topped that final practice session.

"Q1 and Q2 both felt pretty strong. It felt like we were right there in the fight and the car was just as good as.. we didn't make any changes, the car didn't flip upside down in Q3. It was a really good lap.

"Those guys just somehow took another step. I don't know what it is. Ultimately we do lose, I think we are a few tenths off on the straight as we usually are, but a great lap by Kimi and the power deficit to the Red Bull and Mercedes is still significant.

"Our car is clearly as good as theirs through the corners but we lose that down the straights."

Leclerc, though, offered a different suggestion, believing that the increase in cloud cover, and therefore a small drop in temperatures, for the start of Q3 had made a pivotal difference to their competitiveness.

Asked if it was again a case of rivals finding something extra to them at the end of qualifying, Leclerc replied: "This time I think it's slightly different in that I don't think the others have changed anything from Q2 to Q3. Where we have lost is on ourselves and that is mostly the tyres.

"The out lap was extremely difficult. There was a bit more cloud in Q3. We lost one or two degrees of track temp and, for us, it was night and day different and already from the out lap I felt I was having lots of difficulties.

"It's a shame that it happened in Q3 because I strongly believe that we had the pace to be fighting in front but unfortunately not today again."

Why Ferrari are not out out of victory hunt yet

All is not yet lost, however, for Ferrari in terms of fighting at the front on a track where overtaking is possible and tyre degradation is predicted to be high.

Leclerc felt they could even still repeat his Austin victory from the same starting berth two years ago.

"Yeah [Ferrari can still win the race]. The last time I think I started from fourth here I won so I hope we can do the same," he said.

"Just a good start and then where you position your car and trying to anticipate what is going to happen [is key] because there are many different scenarios that can happen in such a turn one with very wide entry.

"Then if you are doing the right choices you can get a lot more than any other track, so I'm looking forward to that."

Hamilton was staying cautious, but hoped Ferrari would have the pace over the longer distance.

"Starting position isn't everything. You have to have really good pace to overtake," he added.

"It's a long race. There was more degradation than anticipated on Friday on the long runs. Our car will hopefully be decent and we will do the best job we can to apply pressure.

"To beat the Red Bulls and Mercedes will be challenging, for sure, but we will give it absolutely everything."

Sky Sports F1's live United States GP schedule

Sunday October 25
5pm: F1 Academy Race 3
6.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: United States GP build-up*
8pm: THE UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX*
10pm: Chequered Flag: United States GP reaction
11pm: Ted's Notebook

*also on Sky Sports Main Event

Formula 1 heads to The Americas for another triple-header with the United States Grand Prix in Austin up first this weekend, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - no contract, cancel anytime