Vasseur says Ferrari cannot blame wind for Austin qualifying setback

Ferrari topped every practice session in Austin through Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, but the two drivers qualified fourth and fifth respectively for the United States Grand Prix. Team principal Fred Vasseur said Ferrari needed to execute its final lap better rather than blame the wind.

Vasseur said Ferrari had shown good pace throughout the weekend and was still fighting for pole until the final corner of Q3. He said wind may have distracted the drivers, but that the same conditions applied to everyone. “We can't complain about the wind,” he told Sky Sports F1, adding that Ferrari had the potential to be at least on the front row and needed a better final lap.

Leclerc was 0.232 seconds behind pole-sitter Kimi Antonelli, while Hamilton was 0.044 seconds behind his team-mate. Antonelli made a mistake on his second Q3 run, but neither Ferrari capitalised. Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar also qualified ahead of both Ferraris.