Ferrari drivers running out of power in Mexico City

This Saturday in qualifying in Mexico, Ferrari drivers Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc failed to do better than fifth and seventh place respectively on the starting grid after suffering from a lack of power in the long straight. main.

The gap between poleman Max Verstappen and the two Ferrari drivers was counted in tenths this Saturday in Mexico at the end of the qualifying session with five tenths behind for Carlos Sainz and seven tenths for his teammate Charles Leclerc. A real chasm at this stage of the season which is explained by a lack of speed in the long main straight of the first sector where Max Verstappen was able to make all the difference on his competitors.

Asked about his performance after the session, Charles Leclerc could only see the huge gap between him and Max Verstappen, the Monegasque confirming that a “problem” prevented him from getting all the power when he applied the accelerator .

“It was a very difficult session, but there was a problem I’m sure. We’re going to have to look into that. It was especially at the level of the engine. said Leclerc this Saturday night in Mexico City.

“We were losing a lot of time on the straight, and there were a lot of handling issues [le temps de réponse du moteur lorsqu’il agit sur la pédale d’accélérateur]. The engine did not respond when I applied the accelerator.

“It was mostly happening at high speed. I hope we will be able to solve this problem and if we manage to do so, I am convinced that we can have a good result, otherwise I don’t know how it will go.

On the other side of the garage, Carlos Sainz is also surprised by the significant gap in terms of performance with the Red Bulls and the Mercedes and also admits having lost competitiveness during qualifying compared to free practice.

“I don’t know if we didn’t find the right setup or if we got the tires wrong or if it’s the altitude that affects us.” said the Spaniard.

“Anyway, it’s clear the car wasn’t as competitive as in other Grands Prix. For me, it was mostly the unpredictability of the car more than anything. Now we have to focus on the race knowing that we might not be the fastest.”

When we look in detail at the Vmax of this qualifying session (see below), we immediately notice that the two Ferrari drivers are indeed conspicuous by their absence in the three sectors of the Mexico City track.