Charles Leclerc said Ferrari are “nowhere near Mercedes” after Qualifying at the Australian Grand Prix, finishing fourth about eight-tenths behind pole-sitting George Russell and handing Mercedes a clear speed advantage that matters for the race. Saturday at 12: 00 a. m. ET — leclerc’s comments followed final practice and Q3, underlining Mercedes’ pace going into the race.
Leclerc Cites Q2 Deployment Issues and Q3 Red-Flag Disruption
Leclerc described specific problems in Q2 that affected deployment and said the red flag in Q3 forced Ferrari to “re-optimise everything” on the final lap, costing P3; he said, “Frustration about P3, for sure, ” and that the team were “a bit sub-optimal for that last lap, ” referencing Q2 and Q3 as the moments that lost him track position.
Ferrari Settles for Fourth and Seventh in Opening Qualifying of the 2026 Season
Ferrari had to settle for fourth and seventh in the opening Qualifying session of the 2026 season, with Leclerc in P4 and Lewis Hamilton back in P7; Hamilton was about a tenth-and-a-half slower than Leclerc after he rued engine trouble in Q2 and said they “had some problems with our engine, ” forcing a return to the pits and compressing their run plan for Q3.
Mercedes’ Russell and Antonelli Show Impressive Pace Ahead of the Race
George Russell took pole with roughly eight-tenths over Leclerc and was supported by team-mate Kimi Antonelli showing strong speed in practice, while McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris split the Ferraris on the timing sheets; Leclerc had earlier expected Mercedes to be fast but said the margin — around eight-tenths — was larger than he anticipated after FP1 and FP2.
Leclerc also noted limits to what Ferrari could do immediately on race trim, saying Mercedes were “super, super strong” and that they might be “a little bit less than a second [a lap] faster than everybody else” in race conditions, a gap that frames Ferrari’s challenge for strategy and tyre management on race day.
The Australian Grand Prix race is scheduled for 4: 00 a. m. local time (11: 00 p. m. ET Saturday), with George Russell’s pole position and the full grid order setting the stage for the next on-track session at that time.
