Ferrari saw an uptick in performance with the start of the Italian GP weekend. That run continued in qualifying but only until Q2. Both drivers struggled to match Lando Norris for the pole position. Ultimately, Charles Leclerc only managed to find himself in P4 after George Russell snatched the P3 in the final moments of the session.
The Monegasque let his disappointment known on the team radio while speaking with his race engineer, Bryan Bozzi. “Sh*t”, said Leclerc upon learning that he lost P3 to Russell. As Bozzi told him Norris’ pole lap time, Leclerc continued, “I don’t care, I am p*ssed, Car is so difficult in the f**king slow-speed. How much are we losing in Turn 1-2?”
Charles Leclerc post-quali team radio (P4):
“Shit… (when he got told P4 instead of P3.”
*Bryan tells him Lando’s pole lap time*
Charles: “I don’t care, I am pissed, Car is so difficult in the fucking slow-speed. How much are we losing in Turn 1-2.”
Bryan: “Almost two…
— tami. (@Vetteleclerc) August 31, 2024
The frustration is understandable as Leclerc lost P3 to Russell by a negligible margin, and the gap to Norris wasn’t too big either. While Russell pipped him by just two-hundredths of a second, Norris took the pole by a little more than one-tenth. The top six drivers had just 0.186 seconds separating them. That should make for an exciting race on Sunday.
Moreover, Ferrari has the advantage of an extensive upgrade package, which gives Leclerc and Carlos Sainz a chance to fight for the podium. Like most other teams, Ferrari too is running some circuit-specific upgrades. Apart from those, the Italian side also has some development parts.
Those include some intricate updates on the floor and the diffuser of the car. Apart from the changes to the flat section of the floor, it also features some updates to the angles of the floor fences and brand-new edge detailing. Furthermore, the diffuser features a revised expansion ramp and some more design changes. What remains to be seen is how these upgrades perform in the race.
