Jonas Leo
The glittering debut of the Las Vegas Grand Prix brought a stark reality check for Scuderia Ferrari, as the qualifying session unveiled a familiar and deeply concerning Achilles’ heel: a chronic struggle for performance in wet conditions. Charles Leclerc, a driver celebrated for his exceptional qualifying prowess, found himself navigating a challenging session to secure a disappointing ninth position on the grid. His teammate, Carlos Sainz, endured an even more torrid time, starting from the very back in twentieth place after an unfortunate operational misstep in Q1. This pronounced dip in performance under adverse weather conditions stood in sharp contrast to Ferrari’s dominant display during Thursday’s practice sessions, where Leclerc impressively topped FP1 and secured a strong third in FP2.
Following the rain-affected qualifying, a candid Charles Leclerc voiced profound frustration over the team’s persistent wet-weather deficit. "That’s what we need to look at because I feel like with the previous generations of cars, it was very, very similar. So, we’ve just been struggling and been poor on the wet since I joined the team," stated the Monegasque driver, whose tenure with Ferrari began in 2019. His comments underscore a deep-seated, recurring issue within the Maranello squad, indicating a systemic vulnerability rather than an isolated misstep in challenging conditions.
The unique environment of the Las Vegas Street Circuit exacerbated these difficulties. Drivers across the grid uniformly described the cold, low-grip asphalt, made treacherous by the rain, as presenting some of the most formidable conditions ever encountered in Formula 1. In such demanding scenarios, the intrinsic balance of a racing car, coupled with the precision of team operations and a driver’s ability to maximize grip from the Pirelli tyres, becomes absolutely critical. While Carlos Sainz’s early exit from Q1 was partly due to an operational error – failing to cross the finish line in time to set a final, improving lap amid rapidly evolving track conditions – Leclerc’s struggles were attributed directly to the SF-23’s inherent lack of pace in the wet. Despite his impressive career record of 27 pole positions, a testament to his natural speed and qualifying skill, Leclerc found his Ferrari consistently a second or more off the pace even in the early segments of the session.
Leclerc’s exasperation was evident as he elaborated on the technical predicament. "We don’t quite find the solution," he admitted, acknowledging the team’s relentless but unrewarded efforts. "It’s not [for want of] trying, because we’ve been trying like crazy, but it just doesn’t work. It’s very, very frustrating, because it’s been probably my biggest strength in the junior categories coming up, and we are just struggling like crazy whenever it’s wet. The tyres don’t switch on, and we just have very, very poor grip." This inability to generate and maintain optimal operating temperatures for the Pirelli tyres, a crucial performance factor in F1, appears to be a significant contributor to Ferrari’s wet-weather woes. Without the tyres functioning within their narrow optimal window, the car’s handling becomes compromised, leading to a substantial loss of grip and pace.
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This particular performance gap is not a new development for Leclerc and Ferrari. Earlier in the current season, at the Baku Grand Prix, Leclerc experienced a similar scenario, crashing in Q3 under wet conditions. Such incidents highlight a consistent pattern of underperformance in damp or rainy sessions, suggesting that the team has yet to fully understand and effectively address the underlying aerodynamic or mechanical characteristics of their machinery that contribute to this vulnerability. Leclerc’s assertion that the problem is "more complicated than just trying different techniques to warm up the Pirelli tyres" indicates a deeper design challenge with the SF-23 chassis and its interaction with the tyres in specific conditions.
From a driver’s perspective, the challenge is profound. "It’s clear that we’ve got to do steps forward in those conditions," Leclerc urged, emphasizing the difficulty. "It’s extremely difficult to drive for us. On my side, I can only say that it’s unbelievably difficult to drive. I know exactly what I need to go faster, however, it’s very difficult to achieve that." This statement suggests that while the strategic and technical demands for improving wet-weather performance are understood, the current car’s characteristics fundamentally limit the drivers’ ability to implement those improvements on track. The moment rain began to fall over the Las Vegas circuit, Leclerc’s pre-existing apprehension for a "very difficult qualifying" underscores the predictability of Ferrari’s struggles in such circumstances.
The persistent issues in wet conditions add a further layer of disappointment to what has been a challenging season for Ferrari. The storied Italian team is currently facing the prospect of its first winless season since 2021, a concerning trend for a constructor with such a rich championship heritage. This lack of recent victories intensifies the scrutiny on the Scuderia to address fundamental performance deficiencies across all conditions. Leclerc’s concluding remark, "What I want to do is to be fighting for wins, so surely it’s not a car I will miss," reflects a professional assessment of the current car’s limitations and a clear ambition for future machinery that can consistently compete at the front.
Looking ahead, the impending 2026 Formula 1 season offers a significant regulatory reset, presenting a crucial opportunity for all teams, including Ferrari. With comprehensive changes planned for both power units and chassis designs – including lighter, smaller cars and a near 50:50 split between electrical and internal combustion power – the competitive hierarchy is expected to be fundamentally reshuffled. As very little will be carried over from the current generation of cars, this regulatory overhaul could provide Ferrari with a critical juncture to address their long-standing wet-weather shortcomings from the ground up. The development phase leading up to 2026 will be paramount for Ferrari to engineer a car that delivers consistent performance across all conditions, enabling their drivers to effectively challenge for race victories and re-establish the team at the pinnacle of Formula 1.
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Author Profile
- Jonas Leo is a passionate motorsport journalist and lifelong Formula 1 enthusiast. With a sharp eye for race strategy and driver performance, he brings readers closer to the world of Grand Prix racing through in-depth analysis, breaking news, and exclusive paddock insights. Jonas has covered everything from preseason testing to dramatic title deciders, capturing the emotion and precision that define modern F1. When he’s not tracking lap times or pit stop tactics, he enjoys exploring classic racing archives and writing about the evolution of F1 technology.
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