DOHA, Qatar -- Charles Leclerc said there has not been a single lap he has driven in Qatar that gives him hope his Ferrari can compete for points on Sunday.
As has so often been the case this year with a driver who is widely considered to be F1's best qualifier, Leclerc used his one-lap prowess to drag his wayward Ferrari into Q3 after the team went scoreless in the sprint earlier in the day.
Leclerc had a huge spin in the final session as he wrestled with his Ferrari on a timed lap -- he qualified 10th.
"[It's] really difficult to drive," Leclerc said of the car. "And it's just frustrating. I mean, the second lap in Q3 was a really good one, but that's only good enough for P10, and that is, once again, very frustrating."
He remained unconvinced Ferrari can hold onto a top 10 finish.
"I'm generally a very optimistic person, but I struggle to find any optimism for tomorrow," Leclerc when asked what would be a positive outcome for Sunday's race. "There's not one lap this weekend that gave me the hope that things can go in the right direction.
"So, a good day tomorrow will be to keep the car on track and to try and score a few points. I mean, I don't want to go into a race thinking about taking a few points and keeping the car on track, so I'll try to get into the top ten, but realistically, and do I really believe in it? I honestly don't think so."
Leclerc's Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton fared even worse, failing to make it out of the first qualifying segment for the third straight time -- the same happened in Las Vegas and on Friday evening in Qatar, in qualifying for the sprint. The last time the seven-time champion was eliminated in Q1 in consecutive Grands Prix was in 2009.
Asked if he felt confident he could fight through the field in the grand prix, Hamilton said: "Not really. We saw in the sprint there's no overtaking. Try something different with strategy and we'll see."