News Summary
- Charles Leclerc expressed frustration with Ferrari’s tyre preparation after qualifying third for the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix, despite leading both Friday practice sessions.
- The Monegasque criticised the handling of his final Q3 attempt over team radio, acknowledging that Lewis Hamilton had delivered a strong lap.
- Leclerc finished 0.119s behind Hamilton, who secured his first Grand Prix pole for Ferrari, with George Russell splitting the teammates.
Charles Leclerc admitted he was disappointed with his performance and Ferrari’s tyre preparation after qualifying third for the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix on Saturday (31). The Monegasque had led both Friday practice sessions and appeared among the favourites for pole, but struggled to bring his tyres into the correct operating window during Q3, allowing teammate Lewis Hamilton to claim the fastest time.
Leclerc recorded 1:16.633, finishing 0.119s behind Hamilton’s pole lap of 1:16.514 and 0.110s behind Mercedes driver George Russell. The result was particularly frustrating after Ferrari had demonstrated strong pace throughout the weekend.
Leclerc criticises Ferrari after difficult final Q3 lap
Leclerc’s frustration was evident immediately after his final qualifying attempt.
Over the team radio, the Ferrari driver described the lap in strongly negative terms and complained that the car had behaved differently from his usual preparation runs.
He acknowledged Hamilton’s performance but expressed anger at how his own qualifying attempt had been managed, particularly the preparation of the tyres before the flying lap.
Speaking after the session, Leclerc accepted responsibility for failing to deliver the lap he needed.
“I just didn’t do a good job,” he admitted.
He explained that the out-laps had made it difficult to bring the tyres into their ideal operating window, affecting his ability to extract the maximum performance from the Ferrari.
Leclerc also acknowledged that starting third was not a disastrous outcome, despite his disappointment at missing the front row.
The problems were consistent with concerns he had raised earlier in the weekend about the SF-26’s sensitivity to changes in track conditions and tyre temperatures.
Hamilton delivers Ferrari breakthrough as Leclerc settles for third
Ferrari entered qualifying with considerable confidence after Leclerc topped both Friday sessions.
The Monegasque also demonstrated competitive pace during FP3, finishing third behind Lando Norris and Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
In Q3, Leclerc initially established the benchmark with a 1:16.647, putting Ferrari in a strong position to challenge for pole.
However, Russell improved during the final attempts before Hamilton produced the decisive lap.
The seven-time world champion secured his first Ferrari pole position and ended a 1,197-day wait since Hungary 2023.
Hamilton subsequently described his emotional reaction and reaffirmed his love for Formula 1.
Leclerc will start Sunday’s race from third, immediately behind Hamilton and Russell, giving Ferrari two cars among the first three on the grid.
The result also leaves the Italian team with an opportunity to challenge Mercedes for victory after showing competitive pace during Friday’s practice sessions.
GRANDE PRÊMIO is following every session of the Mexican Grand Prix this weekend, with breaking news, full coverage and real-time updates in its Formula 1 section.
