Charles Leclerc: Pole was a pleasant surprise

Charles Leclerc won qualifying in Mexico City and spoke about the chances in the race…

Question: Charles, the second pole in a row is an excellent result. After qualifying you said you were surprised by this result…
Charles Leclerc: I do not know. Yes, we are surprised, but soon people won’t believe it anymore. I didn’t expect pole position, but I did a good lap in the last qualifying round, except for the last sector. We can say that pole position was a pleasant surprise.

Q: Did you change the car settings before qualifying?
Charles Leclerc: This weekend we changed almost nothing.

Q: How did you manage to regain eight-tenths between the second and third sessions?
Charles Leclerc: The circle has become cleaner. In the second part of qualifying, traffic was a problem, especially at the pit lane exit. On this circuit it is important to achieve optimal heating of the tires, which is sometimes very difficult. Everything turned out fine in the final, although I didn’t expect to gain back eight tenths.

Question: If the car surprised you in qualifying, what do you expect from the race?
Charles Leclerc: The race will not be easy. There may be problems with the cooling. It’s important to get off to a good start. It is not easy to maintain our position in the first corner on this circuit, but we have started well this year. You must maintain the lead at the start and maintain this position until the finish.

Q: Who do you consider your main rival?
Charles Leclerc: Max has fantastic race pace this season. We have a lot to do to meet them.

Q: What will your strategy be? What are you going to do against Max so that he doesn’t overtake you?
Charles Leclerc: I won’t tell the whole world about our strategy, but we will think about it. Both the high altitude above sea level and the high wear of rubber must be taken into account.