(Motorsport-Total.com) – Ferrari continues to wait for the first pole position of the 2026 Formula 1 season. Even in qualifying for the first race in Madrid (follow live here in the ticker), it did not work out with starting position one, although Lewis Hamilton was still provisionally on pole after the first attempt in Q3.
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His time of 1:32.079 minutes was enough to keep the competition behind him at least for the time being. Although he was able to improve by half a tenth of a second on his second attempt, he still fell back to fourth place because Lando Norris, Kimi Antonelli, and Max Verstappen were able to pass him.
“It was basically the same time,” the seven-time world champion laments on Sky after his second Q3 attempt. “For some reason, we started this last lap, and when I set off, I had understeer in the last corner.”
“I thought maybe the front tires were not up to temperature yet. And it turned out that I had more grip on the rear axle and more understeer throughout the entire lap,” he explains why he could not improve to the same extent as the competition.
His first best time in Q3 was already a surprise, after he had previously driven into the track limits in the third practice and therefore missed the final part of the session. “Lewis missed the last run this morning – that’s not the best way to prepare for qualifying,” knows team boss Frederic Vasseur.
Hamilton had still tried to drag his damaged car into the garage but was instructed to leave the car at the side of the track. The mechanics had their hands full getting the car ready again for qualifying. “It was difficult for Lewis, but especially for the mechanics. They rebuilt the car, but they were really at their limit,” said Vasseur on Sky.
“Not happy”: Leclerc handicapped with old engine
Nevertheless, it was enough in the end to at least secure the next victory within the team. Teammate Charles Leclerc starts the race on Sunday one position behind Hamilton after he could not beat his time by the slightest margin of 0.005 seconds.
“I’m not really happy,” says the Monegasque. “Considering that it only matters for qualifying here, tomorrow will very likely be a rather difficult race.”
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Leclerc went into qualifying with the handicap of an older engine after he damaged his new power unit in the crash in Monza. “I lost a bit on the straights, but at the end of the day, the lap was honestly quite okay,” he says.
“Here and there are small things, but on a track like this, every driver leaves a little bit here and there because you know you can’t afford a mistake. So I’m relatively satisfied with the lap but not satisfied with the starting position.”
“Because being P5 when you are only one and a half tenths behind pole (0.195 seconds; editor’s note) is bitter,” says Leclerc. “We know that we have a stronger car in the race than in qualifying, but on a track like this, it is hard to use that pace in the race.”
“Anyway, we will prepare as best as possible. Tire degradation will be the key factor – probably more than any other race this season, considering what we saw in free practice. We have to be fully there and get the maximum out of what we have.”
Warning for Ferrari after calculation error
Small side note: Leclerc had to answer to the stewards after the session because he exceeded the maximum time between the two safety car lines. The stewards issued a warning for the offense – but not against Leclerc, rather against Ferrari.
“During the hearing, the team representative admitted that due to a calculation error, the driver was provided with an incorrect delta time profile. The driver therefore adhered to the delta displayed on his screen. However, since this delta was not correct, he unintentionally violated the regulations,” states the FIA’s reasoning.
“The race stewards find that in this case the team is solely to blame and the driver is not at fault. Therefore, a sanction is imposed on the team.”