Ferrari, what a leap forward, not even Leclerc and Sainz believe it: the conversation in Parc Ferme | 2023 Mexico GP. The conversation between Ferrari drivers in Parc Ferme after qualifying for 2023 Mexico GP.

First and second places in qualifying for the 2023 Formula 1 Mexican Grand Prix, Max Verstappen is beaten: the Q3 surprise – and not a small one – are Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, who discuss the incredible improvement in a “stolen” conversation in the Parc Ferme in Mexico.

The leap forward that happened in the final round of the qualifying session is astounding. Even the Ferrari drivers, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, were very surprised by the result, as they admit in a post-qualifying conversation.

At the end of Q3, the scarlet cars from Maranello outperformed the competition, securing not only the pole position but the entire front row. Charles Leclerc will start from the pole position: the Monegasque driver set a time of 1:17.166, unbeaten at the checkered flag. His teammate, the Spaniard Carlos Sainz, got close and finished the qualifying session just 67 thousandths of a second behind with a time of 1:17.233.

However, the results of Q2 did not indicate that a Ferrari front-row lockout was on the horizon. Charles Leclerc had finished sixth with a time of 1:17.901, while Carlos Sainz was ninth with a time of 1:18.382.

The two Ferrari cars gained 7 tenths, in Charles Leclerc’s case, and 1.1 seconds for Carlos Sainz. For comparison, Max Verstappen gained “only” just under 4 tenths in the Q2-Q3 jump.

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Exiting their respective cars, the two Ferrari drivers expressed their amazement at the qualifying result. Carlos Sainz approached his teammate in the closed park, looking at him with astonished eyes and an unexpected smile.

The Spaniard exclaimed to Charles Leclerc in amazement, “We gained 8 tenths!” Then he continued, “I don’t know how it happened!” he exclaimed in front of the television cameras.

Later, Charles Leclerc asked his teammate what time he had achieved on his last attempt, which was not particularly exciting for both Ferrari drivers.

Source: f1ingenerale