Charles Leclerc has low expectations for the Mexican GP

After his podium finish at the United States Grand Prix, Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc was cautious when discussing his expectations for this weekend at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.

The Monegasque driver said that after qualifying in the United States, "we were all trying to figure out what drove us to make that big step, because, as I mentioned, after qualifying, it wasn't as if I had to rev the car to achieve this performance. It was all based on small adjustments and changes. Also, on the fly, we prepared the tires, which we know are extremely sensitive this year. So we learned a lot from that weekend, and I hope we can bring it back here."

Despite this, Leclerc assured that he would like to "lower expectations and remember that this does not mean that we will see the same performance this weekend . We have learned a lot, but it is also true that things change a lot from one weekend to another. What you have to do with these tires, and if you get it wrong, it can cost you dearly. We will take it step by step and, at least here, unlike last weekend, we have three free sessions to plan and make sure we arrive at qualifying in the right position."

Altitude, the challenge to overcome

The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez may no longer have its famous banked corner, but what it can't shake off is Mexico City's altitude. This altitude represents one of the main challenges for the teams whenever the calendar reaches this point , as Charles Leclerc acknowledged.

"I think the biggest challenge for Ferrari, and well, not just for Ferrari, is the altitude. By far, it's the biggest challenge at this track: brake overheating."

Leclerc recalled that they had that problem in Singapore, and that's positive, because "it's good to have another track so close to where we struggled to see how much we've learned and test ourselves in similar conditions. For brakes, engines, and many other things, Mexico is a big challenge. But I'm looking forward to it. We've worked hard since Singapore to make sure we don't run into the same problems this weekend, and I'm confident that won't be the case."

“You can never rule out Max,” says Leclerc.

Leclerc also gave his opinion on the duel between the championship leaders : Oscar Piastri, Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen.

Regarding the performance of reigning champion Max Verstappen, which has allowed him to move within 40 points of Piastri, he said he is not surprised.

“Well, it never surprises me. I think Max is always driving at a very high level, and considering Red Bull is probably the team that has pushed the development the hardest, I think McLaren stopped racing quite a while ago, so it's not a total surprise.”

However, he acknowledged that what would surprise him would be if the Dutchman "manages to win the championship from where he is. He's always at the front and always performs excellently, but even so, it's a 40-point deficit, and 40 points is significant. So yes, if I had to bet a dollar, I'd probably bet on the McLaren drivers ." Still, he said, "you can never rule out Max."

SV