Motorsport TechnologyFor the famous Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team, it has been somewhat of an inconsistent season.
Despite having marquee drivers in the form of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, there have been just the six podiums courtesy of the Monegasque driver.
But, with rivals Mercedes relying almost entirely on George Russell for points, second place in the constructors’ standings is now very much within their grasp.
That possibility has gained a significant boost in Mexico, with Leclerc and Hamilton lining up second and third on the grid behind title hopeful Lando Norris. And it could get even better on Sunday with the Ferrari strength being on the longer race format.
“The car has been really good today and over the course of this weekend,” commented Leclerc on the official Ferrari F1 website. “On a track like this with such low grip, even the smallest of mistakes is costly though. I’m happy with both of my laps in Q3. The temperatures dropped slightly, which helped to improve the grip and the car reacted well.
“The race start will be our opportunity to try and get alongside Lando and take the lead. It would mean a lot to the whole team to secure a victory, so I will do everything to bring it home.”
Ghost Car 👻 Mexico City edition!
Ride onboard with Charles Leclerc as he battles for pole with Lando Norris 🍿#F1 #MexicoGP pic.twitter.com/lVwCzoWwMt
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 26, 2025
For seven times world champion Hamilton, the grid position represents an excellent chance of scoring his first ever full race podium in the famous scarlet overalls despite having won the Shanghai Sprint race.
“I’m really happy to be up here in the top three alongside Charles, it’s a great result for the team and one they truly deserve,” added the Brit.
“We haven’t brought any upgrades this weekend, so the focus has been on improving our processes and extracting everything we can from the car. That approach is what made the difference today.”
Lewis skateboards his way down the kerb in Q1 🛹
The Ferrari driver went on to secure a P3 start in the final moments of Qualifying! 💪 #F1 #MexicoGP pic.twitter.com/0vThWkjH8S
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 26, 2025
“Qualifying in third has put me in a good position to really fight tomorrow and I’ll be giving it everything I can to build on the good momentum we’ve had so far this weekend. Grazie a tutti: the tifosi, the team here at the track and everyone back at home.”
An understandably delighted team principal Fred Vasseur added, “It’s our best qualifying since the early part of the season and this one is particularly good as we were there right from Q1 and it’s very important to have Charles on the front row tomorrow.
“It is also important that Lewis is near the front as it is gives us more possibilities in terms of strategy. Our pace was decent in the last couple of races but we struggled to put everything together, while this weekend we have done a good job from the start on Friday. When you start off on the right foot, it is far easier to fine tune everything as the weekend goes on.
“In qualifying, with Charles we only ran one set of new tyres in Q1 and again one in Q2, while except for Lando, the others used two. It was always our plan to save one set of Softs for tomorrow. Can we win tomorrow? A lot will depend on the start and it’s a long run off the grid to Turn 1. The key will be the ability to run in clean air.”
MEXICO GP SPECIAL – THE SCIENCE OF HELMET DESIGN
Fraser Masefield
