Charles Leclerc took twenty-second pole position in career with a time of 1.17.166 on Mexico circuit, the 243rd pole position in the history of Ferrari.. but apparently, no one in Ferrari expected it! Usually over the weekend the data collected is able to provide broad references to the teams who know what they are up against in qualifying. Unexpectedly, however, Q3 reserved a nice surprise for the Maranello team
Unexpected pole position
Whoever expected to see a red front row was certainly not Charles Leclerc who responded frankly and without hesitation to the question about his pole position, calling it "unexpected", yet both SF-23s achieved good laps, the two best laps. Surprised he responds like this:
"We were surprised, even if we normally surprise ourselves already in Q1, this time very late. Q1 and Q2 didn't go very well, e.g I'm not even satisfied with the lap in Q3, but we are on pole"The Monegasque never manages to spare himself the usual self-criticism, "There was a set in Q2 that I wasn't with and I caught some traffic, maybe the surprise came for that too“. This explains the first place obtained on tomorrow's grid and the resulting amazement.
Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow
We know Leclerc by now, his best characteristic, in addition to self-criticism, is that he is driven by the desire to win. A victory that too often slipped out of his hands. Could he really aspire to the first step?
“Nice positive Saturday, but we need to focus on tomorrow's race” the Monegasque is especially concerned about the Milton Keynes team, "The pace isn't bad but Red Bull always has a surprise in their pocket on Sunday, I hope we can demonstrate that we have a good pace"
A lot of turbulence is expected for tonight's race in Mexico City, after this unexpected pole position, the two Ferraris that will start first will have to keep the raging bull that is Max Verstappen in third place at bay. Who will prevail in the “tierra de los muertos?”
