Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton have both said that Ferrari need to step up their power unit performance after Mercedes pulled ahead in Sprint qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix.
Hamilton, who was the top Ferrari driver on Friday, finished fourth and was six-tenths behind George Russell’s pole time. Leclerc ended up two places behind him in sixth.
When Ferrari arrived in Shanghai, they were expected to be the closest challengers to Mercedes, but Lando Norris took third place while Oscar Piastri managed to finish between the two Ferraris. That suggests reigning champions McLaren have also made progress over the past week.
Charles Leclerc admits Ferrari can’t match Mercedes’ pace in qualifying
After Sprint qualifying, Leclerc told reporters that Mercedes are making gains in qualifying trim that Ferrari can’t match.
Leclerc was eight-tenths off Russell’s time in Melbourne qualifying before challenging the Briton for the win after a rapid start to the race.
That gives him cause for optimism, but Ferrari must work out why they can’t compete over a single lap.
“In qualifying, Mercedes still seems to be a step ahead,” he said. “For some reason, the Mercedes power unit seems a step ahead in qualifying. We don’t find that lap time just yet, but in the race, we are closer.”
Ferrari still behind Mercedes on engine
Lewis Hamilton suggested last week that something didn’t add up with Mercedes’ engine, especially after questions had already been raised about their fuel compression ratios over the winter. But this time, he pointed the finger back at Ferrari, saying it’s up to them to catch up.
Ferrari have shown pace through corners, but Mercedes continue to pull away on the straights.
It’s a clear area of concern for Hamilton, who highlighted how long Ferrari have been aware of Mercedes’ early development lead. “It’s something that we were conscious of last year that Mercedes started earlier than the rest. They’ve done a fantastic job.”
“We’ve got to step up and push to close that gap. Car-wise, it feels great and we can compete with them through corners, but when you’re down on power, it’s just the way it is.”
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