Autobayng News Team
Charles Leclerc thinks he might have been better off qualifying in third place for the Mexican Grand Prix instead of second.
The Ferrari driver claimed his fifth front row start of the season in Mexico. But Leclerc suspects third place would be a better position to start the race from.
The Mexico City track has the longest run from the grid to the first corner of any track on the grand prix calendar. Leclerc is concerned he will be vulnerable to drivers starting behind him who may be able to benefit from the slipstream created by his car and that of pole-winner Lando Norris.
“The run to turn one is very long and we’ve got to do the best possible start,” Leclerc told the official Formula 1 channel after qualifying. “I wish I was P3 for the start because at least you have a little bit of a slipstream. I probably won’t have any slipstream in front of me and [I’m] starting on the dirty side of the track.
“But I will focus on what I can control and try to do my best from where we start, which hopefully will be enough to take the lead into turn one.”
Last year Max Verstappen took the lead at the start of the race from second on the grid, though he did not go on to win. In three of the four previous races the driver who started third won.
Verstappen did so twice by taking the lead at the start from third on the grid. However Hamilton won in 2019 despite dropping from third to fifth at the start after tangling with Verstappen. Hamilton will start third today.
Where Mexican GP winners started since 2015
| Year | Winner | Grid position | Lap two position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Nico Rosberg | 1 | 1 |
| 2016 | Lewis Hamilton | 1 | 1 |
| 2017 | Max Verstappen | 2 | 1 |
| 2018 | Max Verstappen | 2 | 1 |
| 2019 | Lewis Hamilton | 3 | 5 |
| 2021 | Max Verstappen | 3 | 1 |
| 2022 | Max Verstappen | 1 | 1 |
| 2023 | Max Verstappen | 3 | 1 |
| 2024 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | 1 | 2 |
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Miss nothing from RaceFans
Get a daily email with all our latest stories – and nothing else. No marketing, no ads. Sign up here:
2025 Mexican Grand Prix
- Live: 2025 Mexican Grand Prix
- Alpine slower than last year for third weekend in a row in Mexico
- ‘I wish I’d qualified third’ says Leclerc after claiming front row spot
- Hamilton aims to take fight to Norris: ‘I don’t have anything to lose, he does’
- 2025 Mexican Grand Prix strategy briefing: All the data to follow the race with
