Charles Leclerc vents his frustration with Ferrari in a heated, unshown outburst after a tough qualifying session.
After a promising start to the US Grand Prix, Ferrari’s hopes took a hit during the final qualifying round, and Charles Leclerc finally lost his cool as his patience ran out along with his tires.
The Ferrari team radios have been buzzing with tension all season, matching their car colors. What began as a hopeful year, especially with Lewis Hamilton aiming for the title, quickly took a tough turn. Both Hamilton and Leclerc have aired their frustrations openly after races, with Ferrari struggling again with team orders that haven’t gone smoothly.
Earlier this season, Hamilton let his feelings show in a heated talk with his team, saying Ferrari was treating him like a test subject during the Dutch Grand Prix and wasting his time. Now, Leclerc lost his temper after falling to fourth in the last part of qualifying, blaming his worn tires and problems with the front wing for missing out on pole position.
Leclerc, who had already made headlines earlier this week after a clash with Isack Hadjar, got edged out by drivers from Red Bull’s team. The main reason for his drop in speed was tire wear on the final corner, which let Hadjar, Max Verstappen, and the championship leader Kimi Antonelli pass him on the timing sheets.
Ferrari’s team boss, Fred Vasseur, said they were aiming for pole position right up until the last corner, and the whole team shared the frustration. But Leclerc was much more expressive, blowing up on the radio with some strong language.
He said, “Too much! F***! Too much front wing. The tires, for f***’s sake, such a small window. It’s terrible! Absolutely awful. Unbelievable. Crazy.”
Even as the team tried to calm him down and focus on lap times, Leclerc was fired up. “I don’t even want to know the gaps. The last sector was terrible—rear locking, rear limited.”
This kind of outburst shows just how tense things have been in the Ferrari garage this year, especially since Hamilton’s title hopes faded. Still, Leclerc is trying to stay positive. After cooling off, he reminded fans that starting from fourth here hasn’t stopped him before. “The last time I started from fourth here, I won,” he said.
Meanwhile, Hamilton has also made headlines after disagreeing with Max Verstappen about the track conditions at the famous Circuit of the Americas (COTA).