Ferrari left Mexico City with a pole position and their second consecutive podium, maintaining their position in the constructors’ standings relative to Mercedes. Starting from the front row, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz’s SF-23s had to yield to Max Verstappen’s Red Bull before turn 1. The Monegasque, in particular, suffered damage to his front wing, yet he maintained an impressive pace until the pit stop. However, once they switched to the hard tires, both Ferraris began to struggle, relinquishing positions to Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes, aided by the red flag.
Diminished Performance on Hard Tires
“My feeling from the pit wall is that the first stint was okay,” commented Frederic Vasseur in the post-race press conference. “We were within three or four tenths of Max. Considering the damage to the front wing, the stint was nearly good. However, with the hard tires, we never managed to get them working; they just didn’t work at all. […] The feeling is that in the first stint, we could match Max, and we were probably a bit faster than Lewis. The only difference in the second half of the race was the tire compound.” – the French manager pointed out.
Ferrari had the opportunity to switch from the hard to medium tires during the restart after the red flag. However, the pit wall decided otherwise. Fred Vasseur explained: “Having to go for another 35 laps, we didn’t think we could make it with the mediums. Max also continued on hards. Probably, the engine and brake management helped preserve the tires. However, the set of mediums we had was also used.” – he continued at the end of the Mexico City Grand Prix.
“It’s clear that our stint at the end was negative, but the first part of the race went very well,” added the Team Principal, emphasizing the positive aspects. “We have secured four pole positions in the last six races, which is a step forward for us. We certainly need to improve race consistency or at least reduce the performance gap between different stints.” The four pole positions mentioned by Fred Vasseur actually refer to the eight qualifying sessions held with the sprint race format, but they still represent an encouraging achievement for the Scuderia.
The Start
Fred Vasseur also commented on the incident at the first corner, which saw Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez collide, leading to the latter’s retirement: “When there are situations like this at the start with three cars lined up, the outcome is always the same. It was like a sandwich. You can’t blame Sergio Perez for closing or Max Verstappen for not going onto the curb, but Charles Leclerc found himself in the middle.”
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The Monegasque came under investigation for running a potentially unsafe car, a condition that the team was still evaluating to decide if a front wing replacement was necessary. Fred Vasseur explained, “We didn’t have time to call him in. While we were looking at what had happened, the endplate’s winglet detached the following lap.”
The race stewards made their decision hours after the race’s conclusion, choosing not to penalize Charles Leclerc, who retained his third place. Fred Vasseur has often encouraged the FIA and the stewards to avoid altering the race result after the checkered flag, but in this instance, the Team Principal welcomed the timing of the case review: “At least we have time to explain what happened. Making a decision during the race has its pros and cons. It’s not possible to hear all sides’ versions, but at the same time, delaying it until after the race means the podium is already over.” – the Frenchman concluded.
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