Frustrated Charles Leclerc lost for words after latest Ferrari misery

Charles Leclerc has stated he has “no words” following Ferrari's shock double Q2 exit at Imola on Friday.

Leclerc could only muster the 11th fastest lap time at the end of the segment, while team-mate Lewis Hamilton was behind him in 12th.

Ferrari entered the season with high ambitions after narrowly missing out on winning the constructors' title last year.

However, it has taken just one podium in the first six events, while Hamilton has enjoyed success in the sprint races, finishing first and third in China and Miami, respectively.

But having consistently endured a big gap to the front of the field, Ferrari brought upgrades to its home race at Imola as it looked for a boost - but instead, it suffered its worst qualifying result of the year.

“Honestly, I don't even have the words,” Leclerc told media including RacingNews365. “It’s frustrating. I'm very disappointed with the performance at the moment.

“I guess the only thing we can say is sorry for the fans who have done many, many kilometres to come and see us, and the best performance that we could give was 11th and 12th place.

“So this hurts, but I hope I can do some miracles [on Sunday].

“For now, there’s nothing that gives me hope for the [race] pace, just because I think the potential of the car is not good enough.”

Ferrari need 'freaking good upgrade' for recovery

Further upgrades are planned for Ferrari in the coming races as it looks to reclaim the time deficit to rival squads.

Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur has also spotted an opportunity in the stricter flexi wing tests imposed by the FIA from the Spanish Grand Prix, labelling it as a “gamechanger”.

As it seeks to add further pace through new parts, Leclerc highlighted minor gains will not be enough to bring Ferrari back into contention.

“It has to be a freaking good upgrade if you want for it to be a turning point,” Leclerc acknowledged.

“I hope that we will do a step in the right direction, but the road is a very long one ahead.

“We can do whatever we want with the balance but at the end of the day, the performance is just not good enough.”