That momentum is real, but so are the margins. As FormulaUno.it reports ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc has offered a remarkably realistic assessment of where Ferrari stands during this demanding American triple-header. Following strong performances and podium finishes over the previous two weekends at Singapore and Austin, the Monegasco knows the team is in a positive groove. Yet, finding absolute perfection on a single flying lap and nailing the tire operating window remain non-negotiable hurdles if they want to stand on the highest step of the podium.
Despite their recent form at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Leclerc is refusing to slap a 'favorites' tag on the red machine. He points directly to their rivals as the benchmark for the weekend, while keeping absolute faith in what the team has brought to the track. "Honestly, I think the values are extremely close and that we are going through a good moment," he explains. "Both in Singapore and Austin we maximized our potential and I was relatively happy with the pace that we managed to find. If we are the favorites for this weekend? I don't think so, I think Mercedes remains the favorite wherever you go. Even Red Bull has proven to be very, very strong recently."
P2 doesn't change your life, but as everyone knows finishing second is better than third, and third is better than fourth,
That does not mean a major result is out of reach for Ferrari, provided execution is absolute. The machine is competitive, but extracting that final tenth requires nailing every single variable. "However, if we manage to get the maximum out of everything we have available, I hope it can be a great weekend for us," Leclerc says. "The optimization of our package is what will ultimately make the biggest difference: it's so difficult to put everything in the right window for qualifying that, if we succeed, we will certainly have our chances. To do this, however, we will have to be perfect."
Digging into the technical side, the root cause of their Saturday afternoon headaches becomes clear. Leclerc points out that when track temperatures drop during qualifying sessions—just like they did at Austin—the car's delicate balance shifts and the team pays the price in Q3. "We have a strong car, but also very sensitive when we step out of its ideal operating window, and recently in Q3 we paid the price," he notes. "In particular, when track temperatures drop, we struggle more than others to keep every element in the correct operating window. It's what happened in Austin, unfortunately on the lap that mattered most between Friday and Saturday, and that's why in the end we lost the front row."
It is a known limitation inside the garage, and one that lacks an immediate fix. Leclerc admits they are heavily focused on the issue, though he is unsure if a short-term solution exists to completely cure their Saturday struggles.
Looking at the broader picture, the fight for the second spot in the Drivers' Championship is secondary to the sheer desire to taste victory before the season closes out. "P2 doesn't change your life, but as everyone knows finishing second is better than third, and third is better than fourth," Leclerc states. "We will try to maximize everything we can. The thing that matters most to me, and P2 will be the eventual consequence if we succeed, is to maximize every single race from here to the end, aiming to conquer some victories before the end of the season." Finishing the year on an upward trajectory matters deeply to the squad, even with fiercely competitive rivals standing in their way at every turn.
