At the 2023 United States Grand Prix last week, Charles Leclerc clinched pole position and denied Max Verstappen a chance at equaling or even bettering Sebastian Vettel’s 2011 record of most pole positions in a season (15). However, rather than building on that particular success, Leclerc shut his team’s chances down on the eve of the Mexico City GP, per Motorsport.com. Fortunately for him, his prediction turned out to be wrong.
Speaking before the upcoming qualifying session for the race, Leclerc resoundingly played Ferrari’s chances down. The Monegasque felt that the team does not have the pace for chasing glory in Mexico. “I feel like this weekend we are a bit too far away,” said Leclerc.
TOUCHDOWN IN AUSTIN!!!
21st pole position for @Charles_Leclerc!! What a start to the #USGP weekend 🤩#F1 pic.twitter.com/So48CjHnQM
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) October 20, 2023
The SF-23 has been notorious all season for being too hard on its tires. Plus, the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is infamous for being severely rear-limited.
The Ferrari drivers just can’t seem to keep their rear tires alive. “Especially over one lap we seem to struggle quite a lot with the rear grip, and it is our main point of focus for [qualifying],” revealed the 26-year-old.
Thankfully, Leclerc and Ferrari did manage to find pace. During qualifying on Saturday, he clinched pole position. Additionally, his teammate Carlos Sainz too, put up a brilliant lap, locking out the front row for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Charles Leclerc thought Ferrari was fourth-fastest at best in Mexico
Leclerc’s efforts are squarely set on securing P2 for Ferrari in the Constructors’ championship. But with only four races to go, Leclerc fears his team have fallen further back from their rivals. The Ferrari driver believes that both, Red Bull and McLaren have set an insurmountable challenge this weekend. “We’ve still got a lot of work to do, because the McLaren seems to be extremely strong. Obviously, the Red Bull and Max [Verstappen] seem to be very, very strong.”
Leclerc seems to be wary of even the Silver Arrows. While hoping to mount a challenge to the Mercedes, Leclerc said, “Mercedes is a bit more difficult to read into for now, but focusing on ourselves, we know what are the areas we need to work on and hopefully that will help us to do a step forward.”
🚨 | Despite concerns, Ferrari decides AGAINST an engine change in Mexico.
New power units could be mounted later in 2023.
Leclerc has fewer components left than Sainz, so is more likely to need a change.https://t.co/BdjKKqiz2b
— formularacers (@formularacers_) October 27, 2023
Leclerc ends up getting pole
In the end, Ferrari fans were delighted with how the weekend turned out to be for Leclerc and Sainz. The points are handed out on Sunday. Still, securing a 1-2 was a huge deal for the Maranello-based outfit.
Leclerc, and Sainz too, will look to end the race where they started the weekend. However, it could be difficult, considering how strong Red Bull is during the races.
