Leclerc says Ferrari must be perfect to win in Mexico City

Charles Leclerc believes Ferrari can contend for victory at the Mexico City Grand Prix, but says the team must get every detail right to beat Mercedes and Red Bull.

Leclerc arrives after consecutive second-place finishes in Singapore and Austin, giving Ferrari momentum after a run of races without a podium. Even so, he does not regard his team as the favourite: he expects Mercedes to remain a leading contender and says Red Bull has been strong recently.

Ferrari’s opportunity depends on execution

Leclerc said Ferrari has made the most of its potential in recent races and shown encouraging pace. But he sees the optimisation of the car as decisive, particularly when preparing for qualifying. If Ferrari can put its package in the right operating range, he believes it has a chance to challenge for the win.

That leaves little room for error. Leclerc described the car as competitive but sensitive when it moves away from its optimum window. Ferrari has struggled more than its rivals to keep everything in that range, especially as track temperatures fall in qualifying.

The problem was costly in Austin. Leclerc said the team’s difficulty getting the car into the right window affected his decisive Q3 lap, and Ferrari lost a front-row start as a result. He identified the issue as a known limitation, while cautioning that he was unsure whether a short-term fix would be available for Mexico City.

Qualifying remains the key test

Ferrari will focus on addressing that weakness before Saturday’s sessions. Leclerc’s view is that extracting the car’s potential over a weekend matters more than any single strength: the team needs to deliver when the conditions are most demanding.

The Monegasque has taken one victory this season, at the British Grand Prix in July, but has yet to claim pole position. His recent British GP success offers a reminder of what he has already achieved this year; now Ferrari must turn its recent pace into a complete weekend.

Leclerc’s Singapore result was one of two successive runner-up finishes, alongside Austin. The results have raised expectations, but Leclerc’s assessment remains measured: Ferrari has a chance in Mexico City, provided it avoids the qualifying execution problems that have recently held it back.