Saturday’s qualifying session for the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix was another below-par performance for both Ferrari men Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, who both start the race fearing a hard day at the office on Sunday at Zandvoort.
The quali session wrapped up with home hero and reigning world champion Max Verstappen taking pole position yet again, with Lando Norris and George Russell behind him. While a positive day for some teams, particularly McLaren and Williams, it was yet another poor session for the Maranello side, as both Sainz and Leclerc struggled to maintain any form of competitive pace throughout.
Sainz, the better-faring driver of the two, could only manage to go sixth fastest in Q3, sitting behind Fernando Alonso and a very impressive Alex Albon.
Speaking to the media after the race, Sainz had this to say: “Our performance this weekend hasn’t been great and we knew it was going to be a challenging qualifying. We managed to get through to Q3 and put together some decent laps for P6 but it’s obviously not where we want to be.
“Tomorrow it won’t be easy either, but be sure we will do our maximum to defend the position and bring home the best result possible,” concluded the Spainiard.
Leclerc: Let’s see what’s possible
After crashing his Ferrari SF-23 during Q3, Leclerc was forced to watch on from the sidelines, in what is yet another blow to his 2023 season stats. The Monegasque will start from ninth on the grid at lights out on Sunday.
Also sharing his thoughts on another tough afternoon, Leclerc said: “It has been a difficult weekend so far and we have struggled with our car balance since the first session. We will look into it and try to improve the car to make it more predictable.
The 25-year-old continued, “It will be a tough race for us, trying to fight our way up to the front. Let’s see what’s possible.
In all, not a session to be very proud of for the team in red, and yet another tough race on Sunday may well be on the cards. With Verstappen and Red Bull soaring to victory weekend after weekend, will the Scuderia be able to damage any hope of a flawless season for RB during the Dutch GP? Only time can tell.