Joy filled the Scuderia Ferrari garage after Lewis Hamilton claimed a brilliant pole position at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. However, the mood was vastly different on the other side of the garage, where Charles Leclerc was left to digest a bitter pill following a frustrating qualifying session.
The Monegasque driver had shown exceptional pace earlier in the weekend and looked like a genuine contender for pole before small mistakes in Q3 dropped him to third place. He ultimately slotted in behind his teammate and Mercedes rival George Russell, missing out on a front-row lockout for the Italian squad.
Speaking to the media after the 2026 Mexican Grand Prix qualifying, the Ferrari driver did not hide his disappointment regarding his final flying lap. "Simply put, I did not do a good job when it mattered most in Q3," Charles Leclerc admitted candidly to the press.
He further pointed out recurring struggles with extracting maximum performance from the soft compound tires during a single flying lap. "Unfortunately, it is a story that has repeated itself quite often recently because we struggle incredibly with soft tires in qualifying. Getting them into the right operating window is always very difficult," he explained.
While starting from the second row still offers tactical opportunities heading into the long run toward Turn 1, the Ferrari star anticipates a challenging race due to cooling and top-speed limitations in the thin air of Mexico City. Read our in-depth analysis and stay updated with the latest paddock news on Sportrik Media.
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