Leclerc and Hamilton qualify fourth and fifth for Ferrari at the United States Grand Prix
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton will start Sunday's United States Grand Prix from fourth and fifth on the grid after a qualifying session decided by a few thousandths of a second.
- Fourth and fifth
- 1'34"267
- 1'34"311
- 56 laps
What Happened
Leclerc and Hamilton qualified fourth and fifth at the Circuit of the Americas, both running new Soft tyres in Q1 to comfortably reach the next phase. In Q2 they initially went out on the same Soft tyres used in Q1 before switching to new sets, and in Q3 each driver used two new sets of Soft tyres. Leclerc's second run of 1'34"267 kept him fourth, while Hamilton's 1'34"311 moved him up to fifth. Ferrari described the session as one of the closest of the season, with both drivers in contention right through to the final phase and missing a better result by just a few thousandths of a second.
- 1'34"336, provisionally fourth fastest
- 1'34"267, fourth on the grid
- 1'34"613 (sixth) then 1'34"311 (fifth)
Qualifying at the Circuit of the Americas: Leclerc fourth with 1'34"267, Hamilton fifth with 1'34"311.
United States Grand Prix, 56 laps, starting at 15.00 local time (21.00 CET).
The team will spend the evening preparing for Sunday's 56-lap race, aiming to make the most of every opportunity. Tyre degradation is expected to be one of the key factors to deal with, and various strategy options could come into play during the Grand Prix. Team Principal Fred Vasseur said the front of the field is so close that a couple of hundredths can move a driver from second to sixth, and that Sunday could be a different story.
“The start will be important tomorrow and from fourth we have the chance to work our way forward and fight for a podium, so that's what we will focus on tonight. Qualifying was tricky in terms of getting the tyres up to temperature, especially in Q3 when the track cooled down, so we will look into that and understand how we can do better if this change in conditions happens again. The car feels good and we should be quite strong in the race, we will work together to bring home a good result for the whole team back home and our tifosi.”
“A big thank you to everyone back at the factory for the work they continue to do. The guys in the garage also did a great job today, and overall we're in a good place. The car felt really good going into qualifying, and Q1 and Q2 were strong. Q3 felt pretty decent as well, but ultimately we weren't quite close enough, so we'll look into that and see where we can improve. Tomorrow won't be easy, but we can still apply some pressure and with a good strategy and strong execution, hopefully put ourselves in a position to fight for the podium.”
“We have mixed feelings after this session, because for sure the potential was there and we showed good pace right from the start of the weekend. Up until the final corner of Q3 we were in the fight for pole, but that's all part of the game. We all struggled to improve in Q3, with the track conditions becoming a little more difficult, but it was the same for everyone. The front of the field is so close today that, by a couple of hundredths, you can move from P2 to P6, which can be just the difference of one metre at a braking point. Now we will focus on the race, because I think tomorrow could be a different story, and for sure it will be challenging with the high tyre degradation.”
Previously from Ferrari N.V.
Earlier in the weekend at the Circuit of the Americas, Leclerc had set the fastest time in both of Friday's practice sessions, with Hamilton ending that day fourth. At the previous round in Singapore, Leclerc finished second for Ferrari's 11th podium of the season while Hamilton came home sixth.
- Ferrari's Leclerc tops both Friday practice sessions at US Grand Prix as team logs 106 laps
- Leclerc takes second at Singapore Grand Prix as Hamilton finishes sixth for Ferrari
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Ferrari N.V.'s official releases.
Why this matters
Ferrari had shown strong pace from the start of the weekend, yet both drivers missed a better grid slot by tiny margins, so Sunday becomes about converting that speed through the start, strategy and tyre management. The result shapes the team's chances of fighting for a podium at the Circuit of the Americas for its crew back home and its tifosi.
Terms in This Story
- Q1, Q2, Q3
- The three knockout phases of Formula 1 qualifying; drivers set lap times in each and the slowest are eliminated in Q1 and Q2 before the final phase decides the grid order.
- Soft tyres
- The softest dry-weather compound in a race weekend's tyre range, offering more grip over a shorter period than harder compounds.
- Tyre degradation
- The loss of grip and pace as a tyre wears during a race, which forces drivers and teams to manage how hard they push or when they change tyres.
- Pole position
- First place on the starting grid, awarded to the driver who sets the fastest time in the final qualifying phase.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.