Charles Leclerc has revealed what Ferrari will be focusing on later this evening at the Mexico City Grand Prix as just 3.5 points separate them and McLaren in Third for the Constructors Standings.
The 24-year-old said he doesn’t believe they have the machinery to battle with the Championship leading Mercedes and Red Bull teams today but says he’ll pull “something special” out of the bag if the chance presents itself.
“I like the optimism but I also think we should be realistic,” he said.
“Of course, on paper, it looks like it’s going to be a promising weekend for us.
“But not at all fighting with Red Bull and Mercedes, they are way too far ahead.
“The goal is to try and be in front of McLaren.
“Of course, if there is an opportunity to do better I will go for it, as always, and I will try to do something special.”
Despite the Monegasque driver’s enthusiasm, he countered his hopes by saying; “On paper, this seems impossible for now.”
Meanwhile, his Spanish teammate Carlos Sainz said it “was one of the most eventful and stressful qualifying sessions of my career.
“After the engine starting procedure issue, the red flag, and the traffic, in the end, the result wasn’t too bad, but I’ve been fast all weekend and wanted more.
“With so many things going on I wasn’t able to get into the right rhythm and didn’t get a clean lap until the last attempt in Q3.
“The lap was not even a perfect one, but given how the session unfolded I cannot be too disappointed, although I would have preferred to have the same feeling with the car as in free practice.”
As for his outlook on the race – with lights out in just under two hours – Sainz says; “It will be challenging as with thin air you have to manage tyres and temperatures, but it will be the same for everybody.
“The start will be very important. The dirty side is especially tricky here in Mexico but we’ll try our best to maximize our starting position. We’ll go for it and try to score good points!”
Here’s the starting grid:
| DRIVER | TEAM |
|---|---|
| Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes |
| Lewis Hamiton | Mercedes |
| Max Verstappen | Red Bull |
| Sergio Perez | Red Bull |
| Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri |
| Carlos Sainz | Ferrari |
| Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren |
| Charles Leclerc | Ferrari |
| Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin |
| Kimi Raikkonen | Alfa Romeo |
| Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo |
| Fernando Alonso | Alpine |
| Nicholas Latifi | Williams |
| Mick Schumacher | Haas |
| Nikita Mazpein | Haas |
| George Russell | Williams |
| Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri |
| Lando Norris | McLaren |
| Esteban Ocon | Alpine |
| Lance Stroll | Aston Martin |
