Out of nowhere, Carlos Sainz clinched the pole position for the 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix. While McLaren and Ferrari were the quickest cars in contention for pole around Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Sainz wasn’t a strong contender as such.
So, with the Spaniard beating Max Verstappen to pole by two-tenths, Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur seems confident and has further bolstered his driver’s belief to win on Sunday. Vasseur discussed the Italian team’s focus on its race pace and with Sainz starting from pole, he has an added advantage to his prospects of winning in Mexico.
“Let’s do it tomorrow.”
Only one target for Carlos Sainz after a dominant pole position in Mexico! #F1 #MexicoGP pic.twitter.com/RNiKBpikAC
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 26, 2024
Coming fresh off a 1-2 finish in Austin, Ferrari are buoyant with the kind of pace they have shown in the last two weeks. Still, Vasseur wasn’t expecting that either of his drivers would get pole in Mexico. The Frenchman told Sky Sports F1, “It’s very good news for us.”
“We were not expecting to get pole position. We were much more focused on tomorrow”, he added.
This has been a welcome change at Ferrari in 2024. Unlike the last two seasons, the Italian outfit have focused more on optimizing their car for Sundays rather than taking all the plaudits during qualifying.
With the tire degradation of the SF-24 being one of the best in the field, Ferrari has often been a pretty good race car this season. The same was evident in Austin and Monza, where Charles Leclerc pulled off metronomic stints with good tire management and won those races.
In Mexico, Sainz would hope to do the same and take his second win of the season after Australia earlier in the year. The only disadvantage for the #55 driver will be Leclerc not starting beside him on the front row. This could be a tricky situation for Ferrari’s constructors’ championship ambitions.
Can Leclerc and Sainz boost Ferrari’s championship hopes in Mexico?
The 2024 constructors’ title battle took a new twist in Austin after Ferrari’s clinical 1-2 finish. The Italian outfit are back in the hunt for the championship, with only 48 points separating them and leaders McLaren. Heading into the Mexico City GP, with both Ferraris starting in the top four, it could be a golden opportunity for them to take a big haul of points.
The reason this points haul could be detrimental to McLaren and Red Bull is that both teams have one of their drivers starting in the bottom five in Mexico. So, Ferrari can not only overtake Red Bull for P2 but also gain about 15 to 20 points on the Woking team, depending on where Oscar Piastri finishes.
Vasseur also highlighted how the pressure on Lando Norris’ shoulders about the drivers’ title battle against Verstappen could also help their championship bid. The Frenchman said, “We have the advantage to be under the radar. The discussion is more about the fight between Lando and Max.”
Vasseur believes as Red Bull and McLaren are more focused on the drivers’ championship fight, they could do some serious damage and take a step towards their first constructors’ title since 2008. Even Leclerc and Sainz have recently said affirmative things about the possibility of winning the constructors’ title. So, if they can translate their optimism into results in Mexico, it can be a “Forza Ferrari” moment!
