Ferrari misses pole but inherits the entire second row

Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton only set the fourth- and fifth-fastest times despite Ferrari spending much of the weekend near the top. Oscar Piastri’s three-place penalty changes the picture: Leclerc will start third and Hamilton fourth, giving Ferrari an all-red second row at home.

The result hides a messy qualifying session. Hamilton only escaped Q2 by 0.001s from Gabriel Bortoleto. Leclerc suffered a significant battery issue in the same phase before Ferrari reduced the problem for Q3. Both drivers were especially critical of execution around run timing, traffic and the tow.

Ferrari therefore finds itself in a paradoxical position: it believes qualifying was poorly executed, yet both cars will start immediately behind Gasly and Russell. After Friday long-run pace that was very close to Mercedes, the second row keeps its victory chances intact without requiring an early recovery.