Charles Leclerc not looking for excuses after P4 in qualifying: “I’m not doing a good job” | Mexican GP. Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc reacts to P4 amid difficulties in Mexico qualifying.

Just a few weeks ago, a Ferrari qualifying fourth and three-tenths off pole would have encouraged Charles Leclerc. Now, however, expectations have changed. The SF-24 has become a standout car in this latter part of the 2024 Formula 1 season, making a result like this disappointing.

The Monegasque driver secured the second row for the Mexico City Grand Prix, held in the Italian night, with Carlos Sainz dominating. The Spaniard gave Ferrari pole position, while Charles Leclerc, who has faced challenges since yesterday, confirmed his struggles by finishing in fourth, three-tenths behind.

At the end of the qualifying session, the Monegasque driver offered no excuses. He mentioned his limited track time yesterday but admitted he didn’t prepare well enough for today’s qualifying session.

“Carlos is going fast, and I’m going slow,” Charles Leclerc told Sky Sport F1 after the Mexico City GP qualifying. “This has more to do with me than how fast Carlos was because I’m not doing a good job.” – he pointed out.

Charles Leclerc, often one to look for the positive, noted that the SF-24 this weekend has been set up more for race pace. Indeed, yesterday he posted the fastest race-pace lap in the second practice session.

“I missed Free Practice 1, and in Free Practice 2, we were behind schedule, and I don’t feel comfortable with the car. The positive is that yesterday I had the fastest race pace. The car is optimized for race pace more than for a single lap, but that doesn’t justify the three-tenths I lost today. I can’t be happy with today.” – the Ferrari driver added.

Today’s result is disappointing, but it doesn’t rule out Ferrari’s hopes in a race that could bring them back into the Constructors’ title race.

“The weekend isn’t lost, but I don’t want to think about the positives. I did a poor job, and I’m frustrated. We’ll see tomorrow. We can still win, but starting from fourth is certainly more difficult than from first,” concluded the recent United States Grand Prix winner following the qualifying session which was held at the 4.304-kilometre Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City.