Leclerc baffled by early Canadian GP qualifying exit for Ferrari

Charles Leclerc has admitted he is in the dark over what caused Ferrari's lack of pace during qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix.

Having triumphed around the Monaco streets two weeks ago, the Italian squad's form flipped to result in a nightmare qualifying session in Montreal.

Leclerc found himself eliminated at the end of Q2 and is set to start the race from 11th on the grid.

Similarly, team-mate Carlos Sainz struggled around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and joined Leclerc in the drop zone, ending the session in 12th.

Speaking to media including RacingNews365, Leclerc revealed that warning signs were already present during the final practice session.

“We are just not fast enough,” Leclerc said. “Unfortunately, that's it.

“In FP3, we were nowhere in the dry in qualifying we were nowhere in the dry as well.

“I don’t have an explanation for now. In FP3, already I felt that something was wrong and we couldn't see what was wrong.”

Leclerc anticipating race-day changes

Ferrari's disastrous result comes amid a period when its championship aspirations have been lifted with two victories in the opening eight rounds.

Having struggled on Saturday, Leclerc suggested he is not expecting a repeat of the concerns during the grand prix.

“It was exactly the same point in qualifying where it felt like something was wrong but nothing that we could see was wrong,” Leclerc reflected. 

“The grip was just extremely poor, in the first sector especially. Once you slide in the first sector, it's a snowball effect.

“It's very surprising. I did not expect that and it’s obviously disappointing.

“But we've got a race tomorrow and I believe that in the race, the issues that we have had in qualifying will be a bit different.”