Charles Leclerc was on top form when he met the media on Thursday in Mexico City. “The podium finish in Austin has been a morale booster for me and the whole team. Of course, that doesn’t mean we feel capable of anything now, but it shows we are doing everything we can to extract all the potential out of the SF-25. Here in Mexico the goal will be the same, even if the characteristics of this track make this Grand Prix a completely different challenge to the one last week.”

Back together again. In tomorrow’s first free practice session, a close-knit team will be back together again, for the first time since the Formula 2 season in 2017. “I’m very happy that Antonio Fuoco has been given the opportunity to drive for Ferrari in FP1. We will be sharing the garage again, just like in our Prema days. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since then, but we’ve both found our role within Ferrari. We’ve spent some together and I’ve given him some tips and it will be nice to be side by side again tomorrow.”

Feet on the ground. As for his expectations for the weekend, Charles was very realistic: “There’s no point making bold claims,” he said. “We need to work well as we did in Austin where we worked calmly and were able to get the most out of our package. During tomorrow’s two hours on track it will be vital to learn as much as possible so that we can tackle qualifying as front-runners. I believe the potential is there for another good weekend. It all depends on us and how well we stay focused and take care of every little detail.”