3rd in the Mexican race, Charles Leclerc would certainly have preferred to secure the double for Ferrari – but he was overtaken by a much faster Lando Norris at the end of the event.
The Monegasque probably did not deserve to win here in Mexico, because his teammate Carlos Sainz was the fastest in free practice. And Charles Leclerc was the first to recognize it after the Grand Prix.
“Yes, overall it’s a really positive weekend for Ferrari, a little less so for me personally. I wasn’t at my best this weekend, but that said, Carlos had a perfect weekend, from the first lap in FP1 to the last lap of the race. »
“For my part, I was a little behind, especially after missing EL1 [Bearman courait, ndlr]and I never really caught up. During the race, I was pretty fast in the first stint. Unfortunately, I had to… I was asked to manage the temperatures quite a bit, but hey, that’s how it is. I’m very happy for the team, very happy for Carlos. He deserves this victory more than anyone this weekend because he was the best driver on the track. Yes, a good result for the team. »
What problems did Charles Leclerc suffer from in particular? Lack of grip?
“Nothing special, sometimes you get in the car and the feeling is perfect, and sometimes you have to work a lot harder to get it, and that’s what happened this weekend. Obviously, my driving time was quite limited since the whole FP2 session was dedicated to prototypes and Pirelli testing, and then FP3 was focused on getting back into rhythm, but I never really succeeded. So yes, I wasn’t fast enough. »
However, when he was in 2nd position, Charles Leclerc sometimes seemed to get back on Carlos Sainz…
“Of course, I saw that Carlos was right in front, so we immediately think of victory. I felt really good at that point in the race, so yeah, but I quickly realized it was going to be a lot harder than that with all the management I had to do. And then, honestly, I didn’t have the pace to beat Carlos. »
Leclerc’s big heat stroke
On the 63rd lap, Charles Leclerc’s race could well have ended in the wall: he lost grip at the last corner and caught his Ferrari at the last minute! Lando Norris has overtaken him at the moment, but the constructors’ championship could have changed too…
“At that point, I had no chance of staying ahead of Lando. He was literally flying, and I think for the team we were lucky that the incident between Max and Lando at the start of the race slowed Lando down significantly. His second stint was very impressive. For my part, there was no way I was going to stay ahead. I knew it would be very difficult. I had to have an incredible corner exit in the last corner, so I gave everything for a perfect exit, but I lost the car and therefore the position. But I felt it was a matter of laps, even turns, before losing this place. »
“Oh, I don’t know what face I made, but it must have been an expression of intense stress, because losing her… I knew I had to do everything perfectly.” Lando was so fast at that point. It was a matter of laps, but I was trying to do everything to make him overheat behind me and keep him behind as long as possible. I tried to have the best possible output. I could see he was very close. I lost the rear and at that point we forget about Lando and we just hope to regain control. I had an oversteer, and while catching him, I had an oversteer on the other side and then I said to myself: ‘fuck…’… Oh, sorry! »
Charles Leclerc therefore pronounced the famous ‘F’ word! At the risk of being exposed to work of general interest, like Max Verstappen…
“Oh no, sorry, sorry, I don’t want to join Max!” »
“I was just hoping to bring the car back and finish third. »
The FIA heeded Leclerc’s immediate apology over his swearing and is unsure whether it will open an investigation against the Monegasque. The file could be transferred to the stewards of the Brazilian GP but should be closed without further action.
Objective: title(s)?
Ferrari has once again regained points on McLaren F1 in the constructors’ standings: the title is more than ever within the Scuderia’s reach. And this is of course the objective set by Charles Leclerc.
“Yes, of course, that should be our goal, but we don’t need to think about it every day. I think the best way to achieve it is to focus on yourself and maximize the potential of our car, which is what we have been doing for two weekends. But yes, the Constructors title is now achievable. »
But Charles Leclerc no longer believes in the drivers’ championship at all, or barely…
“It depends on us to do well, rather than on the mistakes of others, which is often the case in the drivers’ championship. For the latter, I would have to succeed perfectly and rely on a lot of bad luck from others. The Manufacturers’ title is therefore really our main objective and, if we continue with this dynamic, it is realistic. »
Charles Leclerc attended as a spectator the battle between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris: a battle that does business for Ferrari! How does the Monegasque think this affair will end between the two drivers?
“Again, I’m happy that Max is being so aggressive with Lando, because it helps me, at least, to get closer to him in the Drivers’ Championship. It will be more of a duel between Lando and me than with Max, who has a good lead in points. For my part, I don’t think about the Drivers’ Championship realistically. As I said earlier, it’s better not to think about the title, it doesn’t help you get better results. You have to concentrate race by race. And, basically, it’s not in my control to win the drivers’ championship or not… To explain better, of course, part of it depends on me, and if I win all the races, I put the chances on my side. But even if I do that, Max has to have very bad weekends and I’m not counting on that, so I’m going to do my best until the end of the season and we’ll do the calculations at the end . »
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