# Ferrari's Qualifying Struggle at US GP

> Ferrari's qualifying pace plateaued despite hype ahead of US GP.
- Title: Ferrari's Qualifying Struggle at US GP · Motorsport | Shortify
- Summary: Ferrari's qualifying pace plateaued despite hype ahead of US GP. Ferrari failed to challenge for pole in US GP qualifying due to tyre and power unit issues.
- Keywords: ferrari, us gp, qualifying, charles leclerc, lewis hamilton, red bull, max verstappen, tyre performance, power unit, sports, cars, Ferrari's
- Source: Motorsport — https://motorsport.com/f1/news/why-ferrari-couldnt-challenge-for-pole-in-us-gp-qualifying/10868050
- Author: Jake Boxall-Legge
- Published: 2026-10-24T23:53:54+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: ferrari, f1, us gp, qualifying, charles leclerc, lewis hamilton, red bull, max verstappen, tyre performance, power unit, sports, cars
## Ferrari's Qualifying Hype
Ferrari headlined all three F1 practice sessions at Austin but failed to challenge for pole in US GP qualifying.
## Qualifying Results
Charles Leclerc qualified fourth and Lewis Hamilton fifth despite strong practice performances.
## Tyre Performance Issues
Leclerc said Ferrari's tyres struggled to reach optimal heat in qualifying as track temperature dropped.

> It's very disappointing because I think there are some other weekends where we've been strong in free practice, but then coming to quali it's very clear that the others are just having a lot more in the straights and it's very difficult for us to match that
## Power Unit Deficit
Hamilton noted Ferrari's power unit lost ground on straights compared to Red Bull's performance.

> I think [power unit is] the only place we lose. I think our car is really solid: at least as good, maybe slightly better than the others, but I think they have closed up on chassis.
## Qualifying Plateau
Ferrari's pace plateaued in Q3 as tyre temperatures dropped and power unit performance lagged.

> It was like one or two degrees less in Q3 and for me it was a huge difference; I just really struggled in the out-lap
## Tyre Management Challenge
Leclerc explained Ferrari's car struggled to heat tyres sufficiently for qualifying despite good race performance.

> Our car for some reason, it's very difficult to put some heat in those tyres which is a good thing for us on a Sunday, but in qualifying it makes it very tricky when the track temp goes down
## Power Unit Analysis
Hamilton suggested Ferrari's power unit cut-off affected straight-line speed compared to Red Bull.

> I think we might be similar in maybe Turn 12 within the rest of the lap. You see it on the overlay. I don't know what happened, my car felt really good. Lap was solid, so they were just quicker.
## What Happens Next
Ferrari must improve tyre management and power unit performance to challenge for pole in future races.
## Key takeaway

Ferrari failed to challenge for pole in US GP qualifying due to tyre and power unit issues.