"I cannot do miracles": Charles Leclerc gets brutally honest with the state of Ferrari car after F1 Imola GP qualifying
Charles Leclerc appeared visibly frustrated and disappointed after he got knocked out of Q2 in the qualifying session of the Imola GP on Saturday. The Monegasque driver, who will start the race from P11 on Sunday, stated that he cannot do miracles as the Ferrari car cannot go any faster than what he achieved in qualifying.
Ferrari's turbulent run in the 2025 season extended in Imola as both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton reported issues with brakes in free practice sessions on Friday. Moreover, on Saturday, the SF-25 was stiff in FP3, and the situation only worsened in qualifying.
After a red flag in Q1, both Ferrari drivers found a place in Q2. However, Aston Martin played a gamble on medium tires, which paid off brilliantly as Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll advanced to Q3 after the lap times of Ferrari drivers. Leclerc and Hamilton dropped to P11 and P12, respectively, as they couldn't improve on the last lap.
Meanwhile, a frustrated Charles Leclerc offered an upsetting prediction for the race on Sunday. In a post-qualifying interview, the 27-year-old driver said that he cannot produce 'miracles' as the state of the Ferrari car is bad.
Talking to Sky Sports, Leclerc was asked how hard he would try to produce better results on Sunday. He replied:
"Very, very hard. But I can fight as much as I want, but I cannot... at the moment I can't do miracles. This is what there is in the car, and I'm trying to extract the maximum from it."
Hamilton was equally devastated to finish P12. He apologized to the fans as It was his first race as a Ferrari driver in Italy. The Brit explained that having new tires in Q2 backfired as he lost grip and couldn't gain any more pace.
Charles Leclerc admits Ferrari 'nowhere' in Imola
Ferrari left the home fans in Imola devastated as Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finished P11 and P12, respectively, in the qualifying session. Leclerc, meanwhile, admitted that the car was 'nowhere' and he couldn't gain any more performance.
Talking to Sky Sports, he was asked if he could have done anything differently to change the outcome. To this, Leclerc replied:
"I don't think so. You can always do a little bit more with a lap and improve quite a few things. But we are just P-nowhere at the moment. There is not enough performance in the car, and I keep repeating myself. There is just not the potential that we would hope for inside this car at the moment, and we need to be better."
Ferrari has struggled throughout the Imola Grand Prix. The upgrades, which include a new rear wing, aren't working, and Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton are bearing the brunt of it.