Frustrated Leclerc ‘struggled’ in Miami GP qualifying as Ferrari lose edge

The Ferrari driver started off the weekend in South florida as the man to beat, topping an extended free practice session to highlight the Scuderia's imporved pace after a five-week hiatus.

However, a P3 finish in Saturday's Sprint Race could only be backed up by another third place in qualifying, and the performance was one that left Leclerc upset and searching for answers.

"I think we struggled quite a bit more today than we did yesterday in terms of pace and feeling with the car as well, so we’ve got to look at that," the 28-year-old stated to GPblog and others during Saturday's post-session press conference.

Despite dominating the only free practice session of the weekend on Friday, Leclerc could not keep hold of that top spot.

Another impressive session from Antonelli showed that Mercedes is still the benchmark in 2026, but a fantastic step forward from Red Bull has buoyed Verstappen and shows the Austrian team cannot be ignored either.

When asked whether he was surprised to see both drivers ahead of him at the end of qualifying, Leclerc explained that the improved Red Bull did come as a bit of a shock to him.

"I don’t think it’s a surprise for Kimi because they’ve been the fastest car since the beginning of the year and Kimi has done an incredible job in the last three races," continued the Ferrari driver.