Leclerc 'angry with myself' after qualifying third in Mexico City

Charles Leclerc has said he is angry with himself after qualifying third for the Mexico City Grand Prix, one place behind his Ferrari team mate Lewis Hamilton's session-topping lap. Hamilton took pole, his first since 2023, and Leclerc will start Sunday's race from P3.

Leclerc ran P3 in each of the three qualifying sessions. As in Austin last week, he said the main problem was bringing the tyres to the correct operating temperature for the best qualifying lap, and he admitted he had got it wrong again.

What Leclerc said

"I just didn't do a good enough job," Leclerc said. He explained that tyre preparation is quite key and that he struggled to have the same conditions on his out lap throughout the session. Even with a clean out lap on his second Q3 run, he said, he did not deliver. "I can only be angry with myself," he said.

Ferrari's SF-26 has proved well suited to the high-altitude track, Leclerc said. He described a very strong car in the corners, with the team paying for less power and probably a little more drag on the straights. In the thin air, he said, that price is smaller than usual. He added that the team has not performed as expected at tracks it expected to suit it this year, but that this weekend has been the case, which he called a good sign.

Turn 1 and the race

The long drag down to Turn 1 means pole is not always the best place to start in Mexico, and Leclerc could benefit from the tow of Hamilton and George Russell ahead. He said he would keep his head down and see what is possible, calling Turn 1 there always exciting.

He said the race pace is good and that the car has felt good since FP1. He doubted there would be many overtakes on Sunday, however. He had tried more in FP2, he said, and found it very difficult because the overtake mode does not do much. Whatever the order after Turn 3, he expects it to be hard to pass, and he called it a shame that he did not do the job when it mattered.