Charles Leclerc disagrees with Lewis Hamilton’s suspicion about Ferrari’s qualifying issues at COTA

Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton offered differing explanations after their cars suffered a drop in performance during Q3 qualifying for the United States Grand Prix at COTA. While Hamilton suspected rival teams gained an advantage by turning up their engine modes, Leclerc told Sky Sports that Ferrari lost pace due to tire temperature issues caused by increased cloud cover and dropping track temperatures.

Despite dominating practice sessions, Leclerc and Hamilton qualified in fourth and fifth positions respectively, behind pole-sitter Kimi Antonelli. However, Leclerc expressed confidence about their race prospects, noting he had previously won at the Circuit of the Americas starting from fourth on the grid.