Leclerc says Ferrari’s Q3 tyre trouble may have cost it a shot at US GP victory

After finishing second at the United States Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc said Ferrari’s difficulty getting its tyres up to temperature in Q3 may have cost the team a chance to win. He finished 13 seconds behind race winner Kimi Antonelli at the Circuit of the Americas.

Leclerc said Ferrari had been strong in FP1, FP2 and FP3, but that bringing the tyres up to temperature in Q3 proved extremely difficult. He qualified fourth, two-and-a-half tenths behind Antonelli’s pole time.

Ferrari’s aggressive two-stop strategy exploited strong late pace on the hard compound, allowing Leclerc to pass Max Verstappen in the closing stages. Antonelli’s one-stop approach from pole kept him out of reach; Leclerc said a one-stop had not really been on Ferrari’s cards.

Leclerc called the race positive and said Ferrari had good pace. His broader assessment was that the team was not robust enough over a full weekend.