Leclerc hoping to put Mercedes under pressure in Japan

Charles Leclerc will start fourth for the Japanese Grand Prix after a bold final qualifying lap, while Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton will start sixth. Leclerc noted that a late-session snap of oversteer actually helped him carry more speed into the corner, though he remains frustrated by system optimization issues causing power deployment losses in sectors two and three. Looking toward Sunday, Leclerc acknowledged the pace advantage of the Mercedes cars but remains hopeful that a strong start could keep him in the mix. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton expressed satisfaction with his car's setup but admitted that Ferrari is struggling with straight-line speed and power deployment, making it a challenge to compete with the faster McLarens.