Ferrari was left disappointed after failing to get either car into Q3 in qualifying at the Belgian Grand Prix.
A last gasp effort by Daniel Ricciardo dropped Charles Leclerc to 11th, although grid penalties for Valtteri Bottas and Lando Norris mean the Monegasque will start ninth.
Even so, the 2019 winner at Spa-Francorchamps, was frustrated as the Scuderia misjudged the weather.
“Qualifying was tricky for us today,” Leclerc, who required a new chassis after crashing in practice, admitted.
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“It was a shame as I was quite satisfied with the car balance and our overall performance wasn’t bad considering the track conditions.
“With hindsight, maybe it would have been better to delay the tyre change in Q2, but that’s easy to say after the event.
“They told me they had some rain on the radar for the end of Q2, which now I understand why we went earlier. It could have played into our hands, it didn’t today but it’s life.”
The result is also a setback for Ferrari in their battle against McLaren, who have Daniel Ricciardo starting fourth while Norris starts 14th after his Q3 crash and gearbox penalty.
“McLaren are very impressive in those conditions, but I think the balance overall is quite good for us. It’s just that the overall performance is not where we want it to be,” Leclerc commented.
“I think it will be a very tricky race and there might be a bit of luck in the result if it keeps raining. But it shall make an exciting race.”
Teammate Carlos Sainz will line up 11th despite qualifying 13th but admitted the struggle was not a surprise.
“We kind of expected it after the feeling we had from FP3,” he said. “I’m not happy because I always enjoy driving in the wet. However, the balance and the grip weren’t there today.
“We struggled to get the front tyre temperatures up and we had no feeling under braking. We need to look into it.
“Also, today was about getting out on track at the right time with the right tyre. With rain coming and going so quickly it was very difficult to get it right and we might have lost a bit of lap time there too.
“But it’s always easier to say it with hindsight,” he said. “Let’s see what the weather brings tomorrow. We’ll do our best to get the best result possible.”
Carlos was having the normal interview for Spanish TV after quali during Lando’s crash and they got his reaction. Pretty relatable for me #BelgianGP pic.twitter.com/uAWWTBXNUg
— Alejandro (@grand_prix_geek) August 28, 2021
The Spaniard also added his voice to the growing list of drivers calling for alterations to the Eau Rouge/ Raidillon sequence following former teammate Norris’ crash in Q3.
“Very tough [conditions],” he told Sky Sports. “Glad he’s okay, obviously huge shunt and it shows this corner maybe needs a bit of fine-tuning still.”