Calado could only manage sixth in the best of the two Ferrari 499P LMH cars in qualifying for the penultimate round of the 2023 WEC season, 1.2 seconds down on the #7 Toyota that took pole with Kamui Kobayashi at the wheel.
Nicklas Nielsen in the sister #50 Ferrari was another tenth behind in seventh, as Ferrari failed to get a single car inside the top three for the first time in 2023.
While Toyota was always the favourite for pole position on home ground, Ferrari also qualified behind both factory Porsches as well as the sole Chip Ganassi-run Cadillac, leaving it as the fourth-fastest manufacturer in the pecking order.
Calado expressed his disappointment over Ferrari’s struggles in qualifying, saying the team was even further behind than he expected compared to the previous round at Monza in July.
“Quite a surprise, honestly,” said the British driver. “I expected a little bit better than that.
“We knew going into this weekend we were at a slight disadvantage compared to Monza with what we have been given, so I think in reality that’s where we planned to be. It’s still disappointing.
“In terms of my quali, it was a good first lap, I did get compromised in the last sector, but even so I don’t think we can compete with the Toyotas. That was something magical by Kamui, it was a great lap, congratulations to them.
“But I am happy with the lap, that was almost the maximum the car could have done, maybe one to two tenths better.”
Source: Autosport