Sports · Motorsport · 2 hrs ago
Ferrari drivers qualify fourth and fifth for US Grand Prix
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton qualified fourth and fifth for the United States Grand Prix.
The team had topped all three practice sessions and went into qualifying as a leading contender for pole position.
Leclerc said a small drop in track temperature made it harder to prepare the tyres for his final lap in Q3.
Hamilton said Ferrari lost time on the straights compared with Red Bull and Mercedes, despite strong pace through the corners.
Team boss Fred Vasseur said Ferrari had the potential to reach the front row and needed to do a better job on the final lap.
Ferrari will start the race from the second and third rows, with Leclerc hoping to repeat a previous win after starting fourth at the circuit.
Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton qualified fourth and fifth for the United States Grand Prix in Austin.
Ferrari had looked strong in practice, with its drivers topping all three sessions, but could not convert that pace into pole position.
Leclerc said cooler track conditions in Q3 made it difficult to bring the tyres into their working window.
Hamilton said Ferrari lost time on the straights because of a power deficit to Mercedes and Red Bull.
Team principal Fred Vasseur said Ferrari had the potential to reach the front row and needed to do a better job on the final lap.
- Who
- Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.
- What
- They qualified fourth and fifth for the United States Grand Prix.
- When
- Saturday qualifying; the articles were published on October 24 and 25, 2026.
- Where
- Austin, Texas, at the United States Grand Prix.
- Why
- Leclerc pointed to tyre warm-up difficulties in Q3, while Hamilton cited Ferrari’s power deficit on the straights.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Ferrari was the pace-setter ahead of qualifying at the United States Grand Prix.
Leclerc and Hamilton finished fourth and fifth after Ferrari’s pace fell away in Q3.
Leclerc said the track temperature had dropped by one or two degrees, making tyre warm-up difficult.
- Leclerc
- Qualified fourth
- Hamilton
- Qualified fifth
- Event
- United States Grand Prix
- Circuit location
- Austin, Texas
- Leclerc's explanation
- One or two degrees less track temperature in Q3
- Vasseur's assessment
- Ferrari had the potential to be on the first row
4 sources
What people are saying
The tyre window is the same for everybody, but our car for some reason, it's very difficult to put some heat in those tyres which is a good thing for us on a Sunday, but in qualifying it makes it very tricky.
Obviously, the power deficit to the Red Bull and to the Mercedes is still significant, and I think that our car clearly is as good as there's maybe through all the corners, but we lose that down the straight.
I think we have to do a better job on the last lap because we had the potential to be at least on the first row.