Saturday at the Miami International Autodrome saw several drivers struggle with treacherous wet conditions, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc among the hardest hit. The Monégasque driver did not start the 2025 F1 Miami GP Sprint as he slid into the barrier on his reconnaissance lap, ending his race before he could begin it. Improved conditions later in Qualifying later that day was better. Leclerc secured P8—progressing further than his teammate Lewis Hamilton. Despite the recovery, Leclerc expressed dissatisfaction with his performance, telling the media he was far from pleased with the outcome.
A mixed Saturday in Miami for Leclerc
Shortly before the Sprint began in Miami, a sudden downpour dramatically reduced visibility and grip on track. Leclerc was one of the first to fall victim to the treacherous conditions, aquaplaning through what Oscar Piastri later described over team radion as “a big river” at Turn 10. Leclerc crashed out, prompting a Red Flag and forcing all drivers to return to the pits. He could not start the race.
Fortunately, the Leclerc was able to recover in time for the Miami Qualifying later that day. After placing P12 in Q1, he improved to P8 in Q2 and ultimately held that position through Q3.
Leclerc “not accepting” Miami Qualifying performance
After an eventful Saturday, Leclerc faced the media visibly disappointed with his performance. Having secured P6 in Sprint Qualifying on Friday at the Miami, Leclerc was unable to make further progress over the weekend—crashing out of the Sprint and managing only P8 in Saturday’s main Qualifying session. The result was a stark contrast to his earlier form this season, including a strong P3 finish at the Saudi Arabian GP.
“The fact is that I’m not accepting it! It’s just not good enough.”
“It’s frustrating because it’s those kinds of days, there’s been quite a few races already that I feel I’m doing a really good job but when you are finishing P4, P5, P6, P7, P8, it’s just a shame. I have no satisfaction of doing a good job.”
“I’m just hoping that we can turn the situation around as soon as possible, but at the moment that’s the situation we are in and there’s not much I can do.”
Outlook for the race on Sunday
While Leclerc intends to “give his best” in Sunday’s race at the 2025 F1 Miami GP, he does not think that that there are any miracles in store for the Maranello based team, especially with teammate Lewis Hamilton starting in the midfield.
“A little bit, but not so much either,” the 27-year-old said. “I don’t think we can expect any miracles from us tomorrow. It’s been a difficult race weekend since FP1 and it’s difficult to recover.
“I’ll give my best, I hope the race pace will be as strong as in Jeddah but it’s a very different characteristics of track here. I think that on paper it’s going to be more difficult.”
