Ferrari’s bad run from the first two races is refusing to halt. Earlier, it was the car’s pace that cost them places. This time around, it was the communication that played spoilsport. Resultantly, Carlos Sainz finished P5, separating the two Aston Martin drivers. His teammate Charles Leclerc, on the other hand, could only manage a P7 finish in qualifying. Both drivers reflected on the depressing session and couldn’t help but blame their team for their continued misery.

Ferrari and strategy failures have almost become synonymous in the last few years. Last year, Leclerc got off to a flying start, winning 2 races from the first three. However, soon enough, the strategists at the Prancing Horse started to deliver one stinker after the other. Eventually, the engineers at Maranello too ran out of steam and the team just did not have enough left in the tank to pose any threat to Red Bull’s dominance. The only saving grace was the Monegasque clinching the runner-up position in the season finale ahead of Sergio Perez.

Reflecting on the qualifying in Melbourne post-session, Charles said, “I don’t know what happened, whether it was a misunderstanding with Carlos or something, but I was behind him throughout the first sector, which of course wasn’t great.” [Translated using Google]

“We could have done that a little better by having better communication,” he added. “We will talk about it again in the debrief and try to improve such situations.”

His teammate did not have too many kind words for the team either. “I was told that people would come behind me on a fast lap. Some came, some didn’t,” Carlos said. “As a result, my tires got cold, which cost me a lot in Turn 1.”

Read More: Fernando Alonso’s Once in a Lifetime Offer to Nemesis Lewis Hamilton Could Trigger War Against F1 Tycoon Lawrence Stroll

Despite the team’s failure, Leclerc took some responsibility as well. Both drivers also showed belief in the team and themselves, refusing to give up just yet.

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz looking to turn their fortunes on race day

Charles admitted that the car felt way better than it did in the last race in Jeddah. But he also took responsibility for his own mistakes as well. He talked about not being able to find the right balance for himself, and failing to adapt to the car. However, he also said that there was no need to panic just yet.

Leclerc told, “I wouldn’t panic about today. I just have to drive better. The car wasn’t that bad, the feeling was actually quite good.”

Sainz too remained hopeful but refused to speak too much about the changes introduced to the car. “We tried to take a different approach this weekend and to improve the race pace. I don’t know whether we succeeded or not because the real test won’t come until tomorrow. But we’ve definitely changed the set-up and I hope that will pay off.”

Watch This Story | Charles Leclerc & Carlos Sainz Achieve Rare F1 Feat With Colossal Disney Lightyear Collaboration

Where do you think the two Prancing Horse drivers will end up tomorrow? Drop in your predictions for the race in the comments.