Ferrari, what a disappointment in Monaco GP qualifying
Starting as favorites, on a track that is a paradise for those with a good chassis, did not play into Ferrari‘s hands. The Maranello Scuderia, which began Saturday with the news of the absence of team principal Fred Vasseur, forced to stop for health checks after a minor illness, ultimately failed to even secure a front-row position. Thus, despite top performances throughout the weekend, in the end Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc did not go beyond third and fourth place on the starting grid, beaten also by Max Verstappen‘s Red Bull as well as by poleman Andrea Kimi Antonelli‘s Mercedes. For Ferrari’s deputy boss, Jerome D’Ambrosio, the good news is that the Red car, for the first time this season, was in contention for pole.
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Ferrari Deputy Team Principal, Jerome D’Ambrosio, Speaks
“Clearly – explains the former Belgian driver to Sky microphones – I cannot stand here and say we are happy because that would be a lie. Also because, effectively, with the last lap, I’m not saying Leclerc would have been on pole position because in the end you always have to complete the lap, but until the moment he touched the wall he was in contention. So for us it is certainly a bit of a disappointment but, on the other hand, the fact that for the first time we are fighting for pole position is a positive thing that we take home”.
Leclerc’s Difficulties
D’Ambrosio then tries to analyze the reasons why Ferrari almost always disappoints in Q3: “I think there are several reasons and it also depends a bit on the format, because sometimes in Sprint Qualifying you run on medium tires. In general, however, we struggle a bit to extract the maximum. And this weekend it’s clear because even yesterday there were excellent times, but the drivers told us they struggled to achieve them. Then in the end, when you get to Q3, you have to put everything together to the hundredth, or even the thousandth, because when everyone gets to that point, you struggle to extract all the potential if you are not 100% comfortable with the car”.
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Regarding Leclerc, who then crashed into the wall on his last, desperate, fast attempt, there is debate about the lack of confidence and possible difficulties with the brakes that Charles complained about all weekend (and had also complained about in Canada). “Certainly it’s all a combination dependent on the car – adds D’Ambrosio – and the braking phase is certainly very complex this year, with the new single-seaters. So, having to put everything together, braking is ultimately a very important part, and if the driver perhaps doesn’t have the right feeling with the setup, with the brake bias, etc., they might find themselves in a situation where they struggle more to put everything together”.
D’Ambrosio Hopes for a Strong Start from Ferrari
However, the conviction and hope remain that they can repeat the slingshot starts that characterized the entire first part of the 2026 season, even on the narrow straight of Monte Carlo: “Tomorrow we wake up precisely for that, because we will try to maximize our opportunities starting right from the start. We will give everything and then we will see at the end of the race what it will mean in terms of result”, concluded Ferrari’s deputy team principal, Jerome D’Ambrosio.
