Charles Leclerc says he will make “significant” setup changes to his car after “one of the worst feelings” in practice at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
Leclerc was seven tenths off pace-setter Kimi Antonelli in second practice and Lewis Hamilton was nearly half a second behind as Ferrari trailed Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull on Friday.
It was a contrast to their recent pace with Ferrari claiming a podium position in the last four races but Leclerc is hoping they can turn that around in final practice on Saturday at 2.30pm and qualifying at 6pm, live on Sky Sports F1.
“FP2 was very tricky. Actually, if anything, one of the worst feeling I’ve had this year in the car, so there’s plenty to work on, and it didn’t feel quite right,” said Leclerc.
“I’ve got some ideas. We’ll change the car quite significantly, and we’ll see how it goes. I hope we can do a step forward because even though I missed FP1, I don’t think there was much performance in that.
“It’s just the raw pace wasn’t great.”
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Hamilton struggled to generate tyre temperature throughout the day, something which could be a big issue throughout the weekend as rain is forecast for Saturday afternoon during qualifying, and Sunday will be very cold at just 15C.
“It was a challenging day. The track is very bumpy and slippery, which made it difficult to get the tyres into the right window,” said Hamilton.
“FP1 was okay overall, but FP2 proved more difficult. We’ve gathered plenty of useful data, so we’ll work through that with the team tonight to understand where we can improve the car ahead of qualifying.”
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Leclerc: Most special thing ever to become a father
Leclerc arrived late to Brazil after his wife Alexandra gave birth to a baby girl named Bianca on Wednesday.
The 29-year-old becomes the fifth Formula 1 driver on the current grid to be a father after Max Verstappen, Fernando Alonso, Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez.
“It’s definitely the most special thing ever,” he said.
“You kind of expect it because I’ve always wanted to be a young dad, and obviously with Alex we felt like it was the right time, and it’s a very, very special moment. Definitely a week I’ll forever remember for all the positive reasons.
“Of course, there’s been other things going on as well. But for me, this week was all about Bianca, and it’s been it’s been incredible.”
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Sky Sports F1’s live Sao Paulo GP Schedule
Saturday November 7
2.15pm: Sao Paulo Grand Prix Practice Three (session starts at 2.30pm)*
5pm: Sao Paulo Grand Prix Qualifying build-up
6pm: SAO PAULO GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING
8pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook
Sunday November 8
3.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Sao Paulo GP build-up
5pm: THE SAO PAULO GRAND PRIX*
7pm: Chequered Flag: Sao Paulo City GP reaction
8pm: Ted’s Notebook
*also on Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1 is in Brazil for the final leg of the triple header with the Sao Paulo Grand Prix this weekend, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW