Mexico – Francophones’ Report: Disappointment for All

Charles Leclerc – 4th

Unlike Russia, Sebastian Vettel had to battle with Hamilton to maintain his second place, allowing the Monegasque driver to emerge leading the first sequence. But by the second corner, he makes a small braking error, allowing Vettel to level with him. A slight contact could have caused a puncture. That did not happen, and he remains in the lead until the 17th lap where he stops to put on soft tires.

A bit too early? He returns to 4th place thanks to a failed undercut attempt by Alexander Albon, aborted by Carlos Sainz. Vettel, Hamilton, and Valtteri Bottas stayed on track. A strategic error that costs Leclerc dearly: Starting a race from pole position and not finishing first is always disappointing. The beginning of the race went well and I managed to stay in the lead for the first stint. Wanting to cover Alex [Albon], we stopped early and committed to a two-stop strategy,” confides the Monegasque.

The disappointment was palpable after the race: Ultimately, it’s a shame, but if I can learn something today, it’s to try to help the team more with my feedback from inside the car.

Pierre Gasly – 9th

Started without trouble, he gets overtaken on the 8th lap by Daniel Ricciardo, who started on hard tires. Pit stop very early for both Toro Rossos, who rejoin at the back of the pack. Gasly will struggle to find a way back into the Top 10. Unlike his teammate who is 11th on the 19th lap, the French driver remains stuck in 14th behind Nico Hülkenberg’s Renault.

Despite everything, Gasly enters the points zone thanks to the mistake of his teammate Kvyat who collided with Hülkenberg in the last lap: « It was not easy at all inside the cockpit, but today, I gave it my all and I am happy to have scored two points. Overall, the car was competitive all weekend, which was positive. Starting the race on the option tire was clearly not ideal, but we tried to make the most of it. In the end, we managed to make it work, which was important for our championship fight. » said the Frenchman.

Romain Grosjean – 17th

Not much positive for Romain Grosjean, who even finished the race behind a Williams. The Frenchman had little hope before the start, and his fears were ultimately confirmed: « It was a difficult afternoon. Nothing worked very well, we just have to hope the next race will be better. We need to keep looking to find out what’s going on with the car. Here, it hasn’t felt right since FP3, and the race confirmed that… »