{
  "id": 17163197,
  "title": "Ferrari’s Austin Q3 Wasn’t Just a Power Problem. Leclerc’s Q2 Lap Shows Why",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/ferraris-austin-q3-wasnt-just-a-power-problem-leclercs-q2-lap-shows",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-30T02:34:35.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ferrari-austin-q3-wasn-t-023435545.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Charles Leclerc's best lap of the weekend during the 2025 Japan GP qualifying sessions was achieved in Q2, not Q3. He went 1:34.198 in second place, followed by 1:34.267 in the shootout. If he had simply replicated his Q2 lap, it would have been faster than every Q3 time, except for Kimi Antolinli's pole lap of 1:34.035. The difference between Leclerc's Q2 and Q3 laps in terms of straight-line performance is not significant, implying that another factor changed between the two sessions.",
  "summary": "2025 Japan GP Ferrari Lewis Hamilton FP1. Image credit: Liauzh/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) Hamilton blamed Ferrari's straight-line deficit in Austin, but Leclerc's Q2 lap and tyre comments point to a more fixable Q3 problem. The post Ferrari’s Austin Q3 Wasn’t Just a Power Problem. Leclerc’s Q2 Lap Shows Why appeared first on Backfire Racing.",
  "key_points": [
    "Leclerc's fastest lap was in Q2, not Q3",
    "Q2 lap time: 1:34.198, Q3 lap time: 1:34.267",
    "Performance difference between Q2 and Q3 laps is not significant"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Leclerc's inability to replicate his earlier pace suggests that Ferrari's performance issues extend beyond mere engine power to more complex technical variables affecting the car's overall efficiency.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}