Charles Leclerc delivers honest “I was nowhere” verdict after Mexico F1 qualifying

Charles Leclerc has conceded he’s been “nowhere” in terms of pace during this weekend’s F1 Mexico City Grand Prix.

Leclerc could only secure fourth for Sunday’s race, while Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz stormed to pole position.

The Monegasque put together a scrappy final lap in Q3, suffering with some oversteer in the middle part of the lap.

Leclerc has been consistently slower than Sainz throughout the various sessions in Mexico so far this weekend.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after qualifying, Leclerc delivered an honest assessment of his performance.

“I was nowhere,” Leclerc said. “I was nowhere in FP2 when I got into the car I knew I didn’t have the feeling.

“In FP3, I was nowhere as well. In quali, I was nowhere as well. P4 is what I could have done best.”

It was a similar story at the Circuit of the Americas, with Leclerc struggling in qualifying before saving his best work for the race.

Leclerc took the lead on the opening lap of the United States Grand Prix after starting in fourth.

He then controlled the race from the front to secure his third win of the year.

“The only thing that gives me a bit of optimism is that I think I am the fastest considering the race pace yesterday,” Leclerc added.

“On race pace, looking at yesterday. However, starting in fourth it’s making my life more difficult. The feeling was just not there.

“I know that with my driving style, I struggle a bit more on very low grip tracks especially in qualifying like Monza and here. In Monza, it worked out well in the race.

“I am pretty confident that the race pace will be there tomorrow but I will need a good start to challenge for the win.”