Lewis Hamilton: I don't know if I'll be able to make it to the podium.

      Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton showed the fourth and sixth times respectively in the qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix. Both Ferrari drivers reported that they lost time due to the improper functioning of the power unit.

      Charles Leclerc (4th): "I am very disappointed. In the final part of qualifying on the decisive lap, I always act differently than on the previous laps, and because of this, the system has to re-optimize the power unit's performance while moving, literally at the moment when I am driving the car. Because of this, in the final part, I start to lose time on the straights – I gain it in the corners, but lose it on the straights, and it is very frustrating.

      As a result, I can't put together the perfect lap because I always have to sacrifice one thing for another, and that is annoying. But everyone is in such a situation, although I feel that we are more affected by this effect than our competitors with Mercedes engines. I know that the FIA is trying to understand what can be done to solve these problems in the future, because to some extent, this effect is present for everyone.

      Otherwise, I am very satisfied with my lap. I had a slight wheel slip in the eighth corner, but it did not affect everything that happened afterward with the power unit.

      I understand that this may sound a bit overconfident, but I think everyone is not thrilled about making it to the final, as qualifying has always been a session where we look for the limit of what is acceptable and drive on the edge. But now, as soon as you approach that limit, you just lose a huge amount of time on the straights. Therefore, you have to stay a bit below that limit, which in itself is also an art.

      Of course, strong drivers still find a way to achieve results, but now those who really like to attack and push the limits are at a disadvantage. In the past, this approach often yielded results in the final, but not with the current generation of cars."

      Lewis Hamilton (6th): "Overall, the feeling from the car is quite good, but we are just not fast enough compared to Mercedes and McLaren. After the first lap, I was ahead, but then I lost two and a half tenths on the straights due to a glitch. Probably, if it weren't for this problem, I could have shown the fourth time, but no higher, as that is the current state of affairs.

      I don't know if I will be able to finish on the podium, but we have a fairly high race pace. However, it looks like McLaren has made a step forward. With the Mercedes engine, they are far ahead of us, so the team has a lot of work to do.

      When you are seven or eight tenths behind, it doesn't matter, new updates at once will help gain a few tenths, three or four, so we have a long way to go. To reduce such a gap, everyone will have to work hard."