Mexico pole was ‘really big surprise’ for Leclerc

MEXICO CITY — Charles Leclerc didn’t assume Ferrari had the efficiency to beat Purple Bull’s Max Verstappen to the entrance row of the grid in Mexico and believes a very good begin shall be essential to transform pole place right into a victory on Sunday.

Leclerc and teammate Carlos Sainz locked out the entrance row of the grid for the primary time this 12 months in Saturday’s qualifying session, with Verstappen lower than 0.1s off pole in third place.

The Ferrari driver, who additionally secured pole place on the U.S. Grand Prix final weekend, mentioned the efficiency solely got here collectively within the remaining a part of qualifying after spending three apply periods and the Q1 and Q2 periods of qualifying off the tempo.

“It is a actually large shock however we maintain saying that each time we get a pole place so folks will cease believing what we are saying!” Leclerc mentioned. “However I didn’t count on it and this time till actually late within the session.

“I feel in different qualifying periods in Q1 we have been on it after which we noticed we had the potential for pole place, however as we speak till Q3 we had no concept that it was contained in the automobile.

“For some motive in Q3 I managed to place kind of every thing collectively aside from the final sector and the lap time got here right away.

“So then I used to be a bit shocked, however I feel it nonetheless exhibits us that our automobile remains to be a bit peaky and we have to work in that route to make it higher in all circumstances.”

Requested if the automobile had the potential to shock him within the race and permit him to problem for victory, he added: “Properly, I hope so. It is a very tough race, every thing can occur, particularly with the cooling the place whichever automobile is behind will actually need extra administration.

“So it might work in our favour, however for that we might want to get a very good begin and beginning first right here is all the time tough to maintain that place into the primary nook.

“However we’ve got had fairly good begins this 12 months so I’m assured that we will maintain that first place into Flip 1 after which we’ll attempt to do our greatest race.”

A giant a part of Ferrari’s victory possibilities will rely on the long term all the way down to Flip 1 and whether or not Leclerc and Sainz can maintain Verstappen behind.

In earlier years, ranging from third place has supplied a bonus of a slipstream on the half-mile sprint from the grid to Flip 1, however Leclerc hopes the 2 Ferraris can work collectively to remain in entrance of the Purple Bull.

“To be sincere we’ve not mentioned but and we’ll focus on about it, however on the similar time it is vitally tough to foretell what’s going to occur,” he added. “It’s mainly a results of how good a begin we may have after which we’ll adapt.

“Clearly, we cannot take too many dangers between the automobiles, however aside from that it is tough to plan what’s taking place in the beginning. It relies upon if I’ve a very good begin, if I’ve a nasty begin, so it is tough to plan.”