Vasseur urges Ferrari to find out the cause for sudden loss of pace in Q3

Ferrari left qualifying at Suzuka with a sense of unfinished business after a session that began with strong pace but ended with both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton unable to deliver in Q3.

The team looked competitive in the early phases, particularly in Q2, yet when the decisive final laps arrived, the performance fell away. Team principal Frédéric Vasseur acknowledged the inconsistency and explained where Ferrari must focus its attention.

“If we look at today's qualifying, it's not just about energy management or just performance, but also getting the best out of the package we have. Today we'll have to understand why we did better in Q2 than in Q3, and that's what we need to figure out.”

Despite the disappointment, Vasseur quickly shifted the mindset toward Sunday. “But tonight, we'll focus on tomorrow's race, because tomorrow is what counts. Let's focus on the start and then the race, to have a good strategy. Our pace is good, so everything is open.”

Much of the spotlight naturally fell on Hamilton, who arrived in Japan buoyed by his first Ferrari podium in Shanghai. There was curiosity about whether that momentum would translate into a qualifying fight with Leclerc, but Suzuka revealed a more nuanced reality.

According to Vasseur, Hamilton’s deficit was not due to a lack of raw speed but rather to the delicate demands of hybrid energy deployment, which remains one of the most complex aspects of the current regulations.

“Lewis didn't lose momentum in qualifying. I think a lot of it comes from managing energy, how much you use in certain corners, not over‑extending it, not going on the accelerator too early,” he explained.

“Sometimes it's counterintuitive for the drivers, but that's the rules, and we have to adapt to what's there. So we have to work.” Ferrari had been in the mix earlier in the session, which only sharpened the frustration. “At a certain point in qualifying, we were there, so we'll have to work in the future to get better laps in Q3.”

Looking ahead to the race, Vasseur remains cautiously optimistic. Mercedes appears to be the clear favorite based on the weekend so far, but Ferrari expects to be the closest challenger, particularly in the opening laps. The Frenchman noted that the current regulations often create unpredictable starts, which could offer Ferrari an opportunity to fight.

“When you race, you always want to get the best out of it. With this regulation, the start is always chaotic, and in previous races, it allowed us to battle with the Mercedes for part of the race,” he said.

The challenge, as always, comes once Ferrari loses access to the overtake mode. “Then, however, we always struggled more once we lost the ability to use overtake mode.”

Still, the long‑run pace from Friday remains a source of encouragement. “However, the race pace we showed yesterday seemed pretty good. We'll wait and see what conditions we'll be in, and then we'll see what we can do.”