Unexpected setback surprises even McLaren: ““Ferrari, what happened? You were as fast as us”. Ferrari's qualifying performance disappoints even rivals Norris and Piastri.

Saturday in Melbourne delivers the first disappointment for Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari. The Scuderia ends up with a disheartening fourth row in Q3, surprising even McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. However, the two drivers believe the SF-25 will soon return to challenge the papaya cars at the front.

High expectations deflate at the dawn of the first Saturday of the season. Ferrari gets off on the wrong foot in Australia, squandering a promising Friday with a poor performance in qualifying. The session locks Leclerc and Hamilton’s SF-25s in the fourth row, placing them seventh and eighth on the Melbourne grid. While Maranello may have sacrificed qualifying for a setup better suited to the likely wet race, disappointment and concern are growing among fans, surprised by this Australian setback.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in unison: “Ferrari, what happened? You were as fast as us!”

It’s not just Ferrari fans who were negatively surprised by the Scuderia’s qualifying performance in Melbourne. Even McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri admitted they were taken aback by their rivals’ struggles. “I mean, I expected more,” Lando Norris said in the post-qualifying press conference. “They’ve been as fast as us all weekend! In qualifying, we were expecting a fight with Ferrari, even though Max Verstappen didn’t seem too far behind.” – the British driver pointed out.

The Woking driver tried to explain Ferrari’s struggles: “I think we expected more from them, but people judge too quickly. It’s hard to put together a perfect lap. A tenth of a second can make a big difference and shift you three or four positions. That kind of gap is within reach for everyone, especially on a track like this,” Norris explained. “I took quite a few risks on my final lap to secure pole. But I definitely expected Ferrari to be faster.”

“I don’t know if they just couldn’t put together a good lap or if they had car issues. You’d have to ask them,” Norris said, reflecting on the Scuderia’s performance. “We expected Ferrari to be quicker because Leclerc and Hamilton were as fast as us all weekend. For some reason, they just couldn’t deliver in qualifying.”

Norris’ surprise was echoed by Oscar Piastri. The Australian also analyzed Ferrari’s lackluster Saturday in Melbourne: “In qualifying, we expected Ferrari to be our biggest threat. Now everyone will think McLaren is by far the fastest car, but I believe things will change a lot in the coming races,” Oscar Piastri explained. The McLaren driver is sure the SF-25 will give his team a tough fight: “It’ll be a great challenge. I think Ferrari will be fast and competitive throughout the season.” – he concluded.