Ferrari achieved another podium in Mexico, returning from the American races in second place in the Constructors’ Championship. Frederic Vasseur is smiling: his assessment of the SF-25’s technical potential proved correct. With a clean weekend, the Scuderia reasserted itself as the best of the rest.
Podiums in Austin and Mexico
Ferrari heads back to Maranello with two podiums from the double American swing in Austin and Mexico City. The second-place finish by Charles Leclerc, combined with Lewis Hamilton’s eighth-place result, allowed the team to reclaim second in the Constructors’ standings, with a one-point lead over Mercedes. Fred Vasseur’s technical reading of the SF-25 was validated. Nothing miraculous—the thirty-second gap Leclerc made up on Norris is telling—but preparation and weekend management allowed Ferrari to climb to the second step of the podium.
Fortunate circumstances in the final laps
With just two laps remaining, a stroke of luck came in the form of a Virtual Safety Car, freezing the race for a lap and a half just as Verstappen had Leclerc in his sights. “I was very happy to see the Virtual Safety Car come into play in the last two laps,” Leclerc admitted. “Without it, I think Max would have had a better chance than me of finishing the race in second.”
Early race challenges
Leclerc also faced other risks. At the start, the two Ferrari cars touched approaching Turn 1. “I found myself between Lewis and Max, one of those situations where there’s little you can do. I just hoped they’d leave me enough space to take the corner. I made light contact with Lewis, then went outside where grip was poor and had to cut the corner.”
Leclerc slid past Turn 3, returning the lead to Norris. He was technically required to give the position back to Hamilton, but Lewis had been overtaken by Max Verstappen—who also gained from the Turn 1 cut. When Hamilton returned to third in Turn 5, Charles Leclerc no longer felt obliged to give the position back, leaving Hamilton’s radio requests unanswered.
“I had a perfect start,” Lewis explained after the race, visibly frustrated. “I got through the first three corners without going off-track, but I was passed by someone cutting, and no penalties were issued.” His frustration peaked when he received a ten-second stop-go penalty for not giving the position back to Verstappen after a wheel-to-wheel in Turn 4. Hamilton returned to the track ahead of Max, but Verstappen had also been overtaken by Oliver Bearman, leaving Lewis no choice but to continue. Soon after came the harsh news that effectively ruined his race.
“Ten seconds is an excessive penalty,” Fred Vasseur commented after the race. “I can’t recall a similar case where someone received such a sanction. We saw Max make several cuts… honestly, I don’t think everything was handled very well. The ten seconds left Lewis isolated from the group, and overtaking on this track is very difficult. This likely cost us fourth place. If it had been five seconds, we could still have hoped not to lose positions… but ten…”
Leclerc’s consistent performance
Charles Leclerc, by contrast, had a very clean race, and the result likely exceeded expectations. After the first lap, his race became a solitary procession, carefully managing tires while fending off Verstappen in the final stage. “It was a very positive weekend,” Charles Leclerc said. “We didn’t expect to replicate what we did in Austin because we feared McLaren and Red Bull’s performance. Being on the podium was a nice surprise, and thanks to a perfectly executed weekend we achieved two consecutive podiums, which feels great.”
Fred Vasseur praises the team’s progress
“We took a step forward over the last two weekends,” Fred Vasseur confirmed. “We managed to put everything together. The goal was to not leave points on the table like in Baku or Singapore, where our potential wasn’t bad but we struggled to score points. Now we are probably on the opposite side; we did a much better job.”
Team morale and Hamilton’s frustration
Charles Leclerc regained confidence, and the team relieved much of the pressure. In contrast, Lewis Hamilton’s frustration is growing race after race, struggling to convert his improved post-summer potential into results. For a seven-time world champion, it is not easy to see his teammate reach podiums he has yet to touch this year. “I really don’t know what to expect, but I’ll keep trying. I’ll get up tomorrow, train, and prepare. I can’t let people who aren’t necessarily helpful stop me from moving forward.”
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