A bitter Saturday for Charles Leclerc, who after the enthusiasm for the victory in Austin, had to deal with a less brilliant result in the qualifications of the Mexican GP. The Monegasque stopped in fourth place, behind his teammate Carlos Sainz, who had an extraordinary pole. The SF-24, which has become one of the most competitive cars in this final part of the season, did not allow Leclerc to repeat the success of the previous week, leaving him with a mixture of disappointment and determination for Sunday's race.
A missed opportunity for Leclerc in qualifying in Mexico
Leclerc does not hide his disappointment at not being able to match Sainz's pace in qualifying. "Carlos is going fast and I'm going slow," admitted the Ferrari driver, self-criticizing his work. Three tenths off his teammate's time, Charles admits he was unable to find the right feeling with the SF-24, especially after skipping FP1 and facing a reduced program in FP2. The gap separating the two Ferrari drivers suggests that the Monegasque is still in the process of adapting to the characteristics of the single-seater in this part of the season.

Ambitions for the race
Despite a subdued qualifying, Leclerc is looking ahead to tomorrow’s race in Mexico with some optimism, thanks to promising race pace simulations. “The only positive thing is that yesterday I was the fastest on race pace, and that's positive,” Charles commented, underlining how Ferrari has set up the car to give its best in the race rather than on the single lap. The long Hermanos Rodriguez straight, known for offering numerous overtaking opportunities, will be a crucial variable for Leclerc, who, starting from the second row, could aim to gain positions right from the first corner.
The fight for the World Championship is still open
Leclerc and Ferrari’s goal remains to fight until the end for the Constructors’ title, an ambitious but not impossible undertaking, given the Maranello team’s recent performances. “The weekend is not lost, but I can’t be happy with today,” concluded the Monegasque, aware of the challenges that await him in the race. Starting from fourth place makes the task more difficult than pole, but with the pace shown in Austin and the positive simulations on Friday, Ferrari can still hope to give its fans another podium.
Source statements: SkySportF1