Ferrari was the focus of attention in qualifying for the Mexican Grand Prix, with Lewis Hamilton securing his first pole position at the wheel of the “Rossa” and Charles Leclerc completing a positive Saturday for the Maranello team by taking third. The result has fired up enthusiasm in the garage of the “Cavallino Rampante”, especially after a complicated Friday for the seven-time world champion, who was forced to end the second free practice session early.
Hamilton himself expressed his satisfaction with the result, not hiding his emotions about a particularly meaningful achievement: “It’s really amazing and I’m very happy. I’m speechless because it was a difficult and challenging weekend. I had problems in free practice and that compromised my race simulation a bit. We’re all very close and to get my first pole with Ferrari here is special.”
The Briton, who will start first tomorrow at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez and has now achieved his 105th pole position in his career, also stressed the work being done to keep competing at the highest level: “I wanted this pole and I do a lot of things to keep myself in shape, I love what I do and I think about it every morning. I hope I’ve made the fans happy and that I can do it again tomorrow.” The satisfaction is tempered, however, by some regret for Charles Leclerc who, after showing excellent pace over the weekend, was unable to convert his potential on his final Q3 attempt. Monegasque driver Leclerc pointed mainly to tyre management as the cause of the difficulties he faced on the decisive lap: “I didn’t do a good job, we struggled to get the tyres into the right window on the last attempt. I did a great first lap, while on the second the feeling was different and I felt less grip. Third place is still good for tomorrow.”
Team principal Frederic Vasseur also commented on the qualifying result, praising Hamilton’s performance without forgetting Leclerc’s work, but calling on the team to keep focus high on the eve of the race: “It was an excellent lap from Lewis, who did a fantastic Q3, and I am pleased with his work, as with Charles, who made a small mistake on his last attempt. We must stay focused because points are won tomorrow. It’s the longest straight of the season and the air flow will have a big impact on the start.”
The Frenchman also looks at the progress shown by Ferrari and the car’s development work, stressing the need to confirm in the race what emerged positively in qualifying: “When we bring updates, we always have to wait a few races. We must keep calm, even when results are good. We must think about the best strategy for tomorrow and close the season on this note. For us it is important to win a race.”
Taken from La Gazzetta dello Sport