Ferrari slump deepens in Austin as Leclerc and Hamilton 'seem defeated’

Reflecting on Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton’s disappointing eighth and tenth place finishes in Friday’s Sprint Qualifying, the former American driver told Sky Sports that both Ferrari drivers “seem defeated.”

“You can tell that in both of their interviews. It’s total frustration and almost like, ‘Argh, let’s just get this year over with’,” she added.

Patrick believes both drivers can’t wait to put this season behind them and start fresh next year, with a completely clean slate under the new regulations.

If the first half of the season had already fallen short of expectations, Ferrari’s performance has completely collapsed since returning from the summer break, scoring the fewest points among the top teams.

In Baku, the Maranello outfit lost second place in the Constructors’ standings to Mercedes, who further strengthened their hold on the position thanks to George Russell’s win in Singapore.

Ferrari now even risks losing third to a resurgent Red Bull, who have become highly competitive again following their latest updates.