VIDEO: Deafening Silence from Charles Leclerc After Getting Knocked out of Q2 in Bahrain GP Qualifying

Ferrari F1 left their driver Charles Leclerc very disappointed with their performance in qualifying at the Bahrain Grand Prix 2020. He did not get into Q3. To further compound his misery, his teammate Sebastian Vettel also out-qualified him; a rare occurrence this season. However, the German also did not make it to Q3, his 11th consecutive non-appearance in the final stage of qualifying.

Both the drivers will start from the 11th and 12th spot on the grid respectively for tomorrow’s race.

Charles Leclerc on Team Radio after qualifying

The Monegasque was enquiring on his team radio just after completing his last lap of Q2. “How does it look?” he asked his race engineer. “P12. So Sebastian P11, twenty-nine fourteen (1:29.149),” came the reply from the paddock.

Charles’ timed lap (1:29.165) was almost two-tenth of a second slower than 10th placed Pierre Gasly (1:29.00). Both the AlphaTauri cars of Gasly and Daniil Kvyat got into Q3, but the ‘Prancing Horse’ did not. It is disappointing for them, but also the reality of how far they have fallen this season. Probably, the only thing that’s getting them to even Q2 is the quality of their drivers.

What can Leclerc and Ferrari expect from tomorrow’s race?

The Italian outfit can look forward to tomorrow’s race with some hope. Tire management is critical not just in this modern era of racing but also specifically in Bahrain. Also, they have the benefit of choosing the set of tires they want to start the race on. A luxury that is not afforded to those who make the top 10. As Leclerc’s German teammate Vettel said, they will need to be a smart in tomorrow’s race, “Let’s see what we can do tomorrow. Let’s be sly fox tomorrow.”

Definitely, the Maranello-based outfit has some chance of scoring decent points tomorrow. Not to forget that Leclerc is still competing for the fourth spot in the driver’s standing as he is just three points off Sergio Perez in fourth. Then, there is the added extra motivation of finishing third as a team in Constructor’s championship. The two-time race winner and his team have their work cut for the race. We will find out if they can execute their strategies and salvage a result tomorrow.