F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Leclerc warns Ferrari fans not to expect any 'miracles'

Charles Leclerc admitted it had not been a "good day" for Ferrari, the Monegasque understating his team's dismal qualifying performance at Spa which left both drivers well down the pecking order.

The Saturday afternoon session was just more of the same for the House of Maranello, unable to pull itself out of a seemingly worsening slump.

The SF1000's miserable engine power coupled with its chassis issues, both of which were magnified around Spa's low downforce fast sweeps, meant that Leclerc and teammate Sebastian Vettel will line up respectively 13th and 14th on tomorrow's grid.

"It’s very difficult to find an explanation," said Leclerc when questioned on the cause of Ferrari's grim under-performance.

"It’s a big step back compared to the others so we need to try and find the main issue, try and address it.

"It’s not a good day but it’s like this at the moment. We need to keep working very hard.

"I think everyone in the team needs to keep their heads up even though it’s very difficult in tough times like this."

Ferrari's loyal suite of Tifosi are likely losing patience, yet Leclerc warned there would be no sudden turnaround in the Scuderia's state of affairs.

"I can also understand the fans at home that are very disappointed," he said.

"It’s understandable but as drivers we will try and make the best race possible tomorrow even though we can’t expect any miracles."

Vettel echoed Leclerc's comments, insisting the current depressed level of performance was a reflection of Ferrari's limited potential.

"It is the true picture," said Vettel. "It is what the car can do around here today so obviously we tried everything we could and there was a lot of effort going in from last night to today trying to make things better.

"I think we did [improve] a little bit but obviously we are not where we want to be, but this is not the first race and the first qualifying where this has been the case.”

"We try to do our best. This is obviously the car that we have and the car that we know now for the whole season so far. So it is not a surprise today."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.

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