Ferrari team principal Vasseur: “Hamilton has been chasing this pole for two years”

Most Grand Prix pundits had expected Charles Leclerc to take pole position, as the Monegasque driver had been the faster of the two Ferrari stars in all three free practice sessions. But when it came down to it, Lewis Hamilton set a lap time that no one could beat. The seven-time world champion thus celebrated his first Grand Prix pole in red.

Fred Vasseur squinted happily into the sun during a TV interview with ‘Sky Sports F1’. The team principal of the world’s oldest Formula One team explained: “This is a good day, because Hamilton has been chasing this pole position for two years. But the most important part is yet to come; however, we can view this pole as an important milestone for Lewis and also for us as a team.”

Fred Vasseur emphasised: “That will be decisive in the race.”

The fact that Leclerc ultimately had to settle for third place did not dampen the celebrations. “Charles put in a very good lap on his first Q3 attempt, but he made a small mistake on his second attempt. It’s a shame, because we could have secured the top two grid positions, but it could have gone worse, given how well Max Verstappen’s lap started. He was on his way to a strong lap. But in Mexico, it’s part of the game that you struggle in the last few corners if you push too hard at the start. It’s always a question of balance,” explained the Frenchman.

At the start, both Maranello GP cars will be starting from the cleaner side of the track. Vasseur doesn’t want to read too much into that, though: “It’s certainly also about the slipstream up to the first corner; a lot can happen there. I don’t have a crystal ball and can’t say how the race will go. We’ll now focus on devising the best strategy, and I think where you are in the first corner will be crucial. It’s important to have a clear run; otherwise, the whole car overheats in the turbulent air. That’s an issue that’s on everyone’s mind.”

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