Charles Leclerc: I don't expect any race worse than 2022 F1 Mexican GP

Charles Leclerc believes that the 2022 F1 Mexican GP was probably Ferrari’s worst race weekend this season. The Scuderia driver did not expect to have such a significant gap to the front-runners in terms of pace and felt it was similar to their outing at Spa earlier this year.

Speaking to the on-site media after the race, Leclerc said:

"Coming into the race, as much as I am an optimist, I knew it was going to be difficult. I didn't expect it to be that difficult though, and to be [that far away] from the guys [ahead]. I hope [Brazil] won't be like this because I don't expect any race worse than this, it is probably one of the worst races [of the season], together with Spa."

Comparing the race in Mexico City to the one in Spa, Charles Leclerc felt that it was Ferrari's worst weekend in terms of the pace deficit for the front-runners. The Monegasque, however, believes that the problem in Spa was fixed by the time F1 raced in Monza and thinks the Scuderia's issues with the pace in Mexico were a one-off. Judging by the nature of their slow pace, however, he is unsure if the team will have a short-term fix to the problem.

Explaining the nature of his race further, Charles Leclerc said:

"I honestly believe that it is a one-off, but for the future, we need to understand what we can do in those conditions for us to be better. In Spa, we had quite a good understanding of why it was so bad, and I felt like we reacted quite well in Monza, even though it is not exactly the same track, but the issues were going to be the same. Here, it is another issue. Whether we can fix it for the short-term, I don't know, but again, it is a one-off."

---

Charles Leclerc was baffled by Ferrari's pace deficit in Mexico

Baffled by Ferrari's pace deficit against their rivals, Charles Leclerc felt there were several issues during the race, starting with qualifying itself. He felt that had they not had the DRS problem in qualifying, they would have been a lot closer. Despite a few engine problems, the Ferrari driver did not understand the reason behind the drop in pace.

Explaining the issues during the Mexican GP weekend, Leclerc said:

"On my side, we had a few problems in qualifying, and I think we could have been closer. But in the race, the DRS problem was fixed, and we changed the rear wing, and then with the engine we still had some problems, but it definitely doesn't explain the gap that we are seeing now. We need to work on it and try to make it so that when we have our bad days, the damage is not as bad as this one."

Based on the ramblings in the paddock in Mexico, Ferrari had turned down their engines for power due to the low air density and high altitude. With the current result, however, Sergio Perez has leapfrogged Charles Leclerc by five points in the drivers' championship standings to grab second place. With two races left on the calendar, the battle for second in both the drivers' and constructors' championships still remains open.