Leclerc explodes, Hamilton collapses, Vasseur remains silent.

      "My God - f*ing embarrassing"

      Ferrari’s season spiraled further into crisis in Las Vegas, as Charles Leclerc launched a sharp radio tirade following his disappointing ninth-place qualifying result. This outburst came just days after chairman John Elkann advised his drivers to "talk less." Leclerc expressed his frustration on the radio, stating, "My God - f*ing embarrassing." Once out of the car, he criticized Ferrari’s persistent struggles with wet-weather performance, saying, "We’ve had this problem for seven years. It’s so frustrating because it used to be my biggest strength in the junior categories. We’ve got Lewis, and before that Carlos, who came from other teams and could share insights about the other cars – yet we still don't seem to be making any progress." He also had little positive to say about the car's dry-weather handling, admitting bluntly, "Not a car I’ll miss."

      Lewis Hamilton's qualifying experience was even worse. He misjudged the pit-exit red light during Q1, missing the opportunity for another lap and starting at the rear of the grid. His reply was surprisingly restrained, apparently reflecting Elkann’s "talk less" directive: "I don’t have much to say. I couldn’t get a lap. I’ll try to make up ground - that seems to be the story of my life." He later conveyed how poor the visibility was, sharing, "I even hit a pole because I couldn’t see the corners. This is definitely my toughest year." Sky Italia analyst Ivan Capelli was harsh, commenting, "He should know what he’s doing. You’re informed about all this in the briefing." Tom Coronel, on Viaplay, suggested that Hamilton's morale appeared shattered, stating, "He is so sour. You can see it in his body language. He’s basically saying nothing. He is done with it." Coronel attributed the team's decline to constant changes in team leadership, noting, "They were fighting for the world title – since then it’s clearly worsened."

      When asked about the turmoil in Ferrari, which he departed at the end of the previous year, Carlos Sainz smiled, saying, "You know the frog with the tea? You know the meme? That’s literally me right now." A significant indicator of the pressure at Maranello was team boss Frederic Vasseur's sudden absence from media engagements – no TV interviews, no appearances on Sky Italia, and no comments in print or online media, not even in press releases.

      On Saturday night, Max Verstappen secured a victory ahead of Lando Norris, who had claimed pole position under challenging conditions the previous day. The points gap has now widened to 42, with two race weekends and a sprint left this season. "It’s still a big gap," said the Dutch racer. Dr. Helmut Marko commended the entire field for their performance, especially in enduring one of the slipperiest qualifying sessions in history. "If I wanted that, I’d go rallying," Verstappen remarked. Marko added, "Apart from Alex Albon, no one crashed – and the conditions were really, really difficult."