SILVERSTONE: Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel admitted on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) that Ferrari are unlikely to make much impression in Sunday’s 70th Anniversary Grand Prix and face a tough race.

Leclerc, who finished third in last Sunday’s British Grand Prix at the same Silverstone track, said his eighth position on the grid after Saturday’s qualifying was a true indication of Ferrari’s potential.

“No, I am not surprised,” he said. “I think this is a more realistic picture for us, of where we are, to be honest. We have been struggling with the softer tyres.

“We seem to be more aggressive on them and we don’t even manage to finish a full lap in Q3 with the soft tyres.”

The Monegasque said he is prepared for a very challenging race on Sunday.

“It will be a very difficult race,” he said. “It’s hard to finish the qualifying lap and it will be very difficult to keep up with the others in the race.

“But we remain optimistic. I will try my best and see where we end up.”

Four-time world champion Vettel, in his last season with Ferrari, qualified 12th, but gained a place thanks to a grid penalty for Renault’s Esteban Ocon.

“I’m always optimistic,” he said. “I try to reset myself as much as I can so I hope for a better day tomorrow, but I think since last week we’re pretty much where we are now.

“We tried a lot of things, but we weren’t able to make a step forward.”