Charles Leclerc drops 4-word verdict after poor qualifying for the F1 Australian GP

Charles Leclerc qualified seventh for the Australian Grand Prix after finishing all the free practice sessions in the top four. Subsequently, unhappy with his performance around the Albert Park Circuit, the Monegasque expressed his frustration over the radio during the in-lap.

After ending the 2024 season on a high with three wins, the 27-year-old hoped to take the title fight to McLaren in the 2025 campaign. During pre-season testing, Ferrari claimed the second and third fastest lap times and looked close to the Woking-based squad in terms of performance.

This trend continued in the early phase of the Australian Grand Prix weekend, but the pace of the prancing horses vanished as soon as the qualifying session began. Lewis Hamilton spun his SF-25 during the Q2 session, and despite huge expectations in the final segment, Charles Leclerc and the Briton were only able to muster a seventh and eighth place qualification.

Frustrating with his final attempt in Q3, Leclerc apologized for the lap, and said (via X/@Vetteleclerc):

"Yeah sorry, sh**ty lap.."

Charles Leclerc is a former winner of the Australian Grand Prix, claiming his first grand slam at the 2022 edition.

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Charles Leclerc opens up on his dismal qualifying performance

F1 Grand Prix Of Australia - Qualifying - Source: Getty

While Charles Leclerc will not be able to recreate his 2022 success as he cannot complete a grand slam without the pole, fans will be hoping for a better result on the raceday. However, Racing Bulls' Yuki Tsunoda and Williams' Alex Albon were able to outqualify him.

Disappointed with his result, the Ferrari driver said (via Motorsport.com):

"Since this morning the performance in general has not been the same as yesterday. I think I know where it comes from, but we have to analyse the data. We did the right thing, we needed to lose a bit of performance, which is never the desired thing, but it was the right thing to do this weekend, even if I won't go into further detail."

"I never imagined this. But we are only at the beginning of the season, we need to work, the season is long. We don't have to work miracles, tomorrow we try to take the points and then, little by little, we will get back to the front. I am sure that this car has potential, but today we were out of the window and this was felt and seen".

The scarlet duo will be hoping for the rain to shuffle up the field on Sunday (March 16). The 58-lap race is slated to have rain showers, and drivers will have to showcase their skill in the treacherous conditions as wet weather usually neutralizes the gap between the manufacturers.