F1 News: Charles Leclerc Pessimistic - "Not Sure It's Best Place To Start"

Charles Leclerc surprised himself and many with a pole position in Mexico, but he remains cautious.

Charles Leclerc secured pole position for the Mexican Grand Prix, despite not improving on his final lap, with his initial attempt proving sufficient for the top spot. The Ferrari driver expressed his surprise at the result, acknowledging the team's achievement of a front-row lockout at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

Key Takeaways:

• Unexpected Pole Position: Leclerc did not anticipate being in pole position, expressing his surprise during the on-track interview. He mentioned that the team felt they were lacking after FP3, but managed to pull everything together with new tyres for a substantial gain.
• Aiming for the Win: Achieving his 22nd pole position in F1, Leclerc’s eyes are now set on converting this advantageous starting position into a race win. He is cautious yet optimistic about their pace and is determined to give it their all for a victorious outcome.
• Questionable Starting Position: Despite his achievement, Leclerc expressed uncertainty about starting from P1 at the Mexican circuit, hinting that it may not be the most strategic position. Nevertheless, he is content and ready to tackle the challenge in the race.

Charles Leclerc's unexpected pole position at the Mexican Grand Prix has stirred up excitement and surprise, not just among the fans but also within the Ferrari team. After what seemed like a challenging FP3, the Monegasque driver managed to secure the front-row spot, completing a Ferrari lockout alongside his teammate Carlos Sainz.

During the post-qualifying interview, Leclerc couldn’t hide his astonishment. 

“It's been two weekends in a row where we’ve said that so then people will start not believing us anymore! To be honest, I did not expect to be on pole position today. We thought we were lacking quite a bit after FP3, but for some reason once we put everything together, with the new tyres, we gained a lot.”

Leclerc, with his 22nd pole position under his belt will be looking to add more poles to his career later this season as the gap between his team and the reigning champions Red Bull seems to dwindle.

“We’ve had pretty good pace all weekend, I'm not sure whether it's enough to be challenging for the win but we'll try everything in our hands to try and get it and let's see tomorrow.”

However, he was candid about his reservations regarding starting from P1 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. 

“First place here, I’m not sure it's the best starting place, but anyway, that's fine. I'm happy. I'll take that pole position, I'm really happy with today and now let's as I said finalise it tomorrow.”