Charles Leclerc voiced significant frustration following qualifying for the 2026 United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of The Americas. The Ferrari driver secured fourth position on the grid, missing out on a front-row start.
Leclerc’s disappointment stemmed from issues with the SF-26’s tyre performance, specifically a narrow operating window. He stated that a temperature drop of one or two degrees in Q3 made a substantial difference to the car’s handling.
The Monegasque driver communicated his dissatisfaction to the Ferrari team over the radio, highlighting excessive front wing and difficulties with tyre management.
“Too much! F*! Too much front wing. The tyres, for f* sake, such a tiny window. It’s s*! It’s absolutely awful.”
Leclerc also noted rear locking and a rear-limited balance in the final sector of his qualifying lap. He expressed a reluctance to know the exact time gaps to his rivals.
Kimi Antonelli secured pole position for Mercedes with a lap time of 1:34.035. Max Verstappen qualified second for Red Bull, 0.179 seconds behind Antonelli.
Isack Hadjar placed his Red Bull third, 0.215 seconds off pole, completing the second row alongside Leclerc. Lewis Hamilton qualified fifth for Ferrari, 0.276 seconds behind Antonelli.
George Russell took sixth for Mercedes, followed by Oscar Piastri in seventh for McLaren. Lando Norris initially qualified higher but had a lap time deleted, placing him eighth.
Arvid Lindblad qualified ninth for Racing Bulls but will incur a five-place grid penalty for exceeding power unit component limits. Liam Lawson, his teammate, will start ninth after failing to set a Q3 time.
Ferrari introduced its fourth and final major aerodynamic upgrade package of the 2026 season at the United States Grand Prix. This included revisions to the floor, sidepods, and upper bodywork.
The upgrades aimed to increase downforce, widen the SF-26’s operating window, and improve aerodynamic stability and tyre management. Lewis Hamilton estimated a performance gain of approximately one tenth of a second.
Ferrari’s technical department focused on optimising existing solutions rather than radical changes to the sidepod concept, a different approach compared to McLaren and Mercedes.
Pirelli’s 2026 tyres feature a specific operating window, which teams must manage to prevent overheating or underperformance. The soft compound, while offering single-lap pace, can be challenging to bring into its optimal window at COTA.
Leclerc has secured one race win this season at the British Grand Prix. He currently sits fifth in the 2026 Drivers’ Championship with 215 points after 17 rounds.
Antonelli’s pole position marks his seventh of the season, and he enters the United States Grand Prix weekend with a chance to secure his first World Championship title.
The Circuit of The Americas underwent resurfacing between Turns 9 and 11 for 2026, with bumps smoothed at Turns 12 and 19. New blue track-limit lines were also implemented.
