Charles Leclerc looks back on his final qualifying run after losing pole position to Lando Norris by a small margin in Mexico

Charles Leclerc narrowly missed out on pole position for the 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix. The Ferrari driver finished just 0.262 seconds behind McLaren’s Lando Norris in a tense qualifying session at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez.

Ferrari showed strong pace throughout the day, with Leclerc and teammate Lewis Hamilton starting inside the top three. For Hamilton, P3 is his best qualifying result this year, while Leclerc came close to his second pole of the year.

Before climbing out of the car, Leclerc said over the radio:

“A shame. Quite a good lap, felt maybe the second lap wasn’t that great.”

Charles Leclerc was not among the front-runners in earlier sessions. He was seventh in Q1 with a 1:17.024, and sixth with a 1:16.658 in Q2, and improved to get provisional pole in Q3 with a 1:15.848 with six minutes to go. But Norris delivered a late flyer that stunned even himself, leaving Leclerc to settle for P2.

Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc, and Lewis Hamilton at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. Source: Getty

Norris’ late Q3 effort of 1:15.586s came with three purple sectors, leaving the Monegasque rueing one slightly sub-par sector more than anything else.

For Ferrari, qualifying in P2 and P3 represented one of their most competitive Saturdays in months. Both drivers had the car hooked up on the softs. Lewis Hamilton, too, looked sharp and confident, noting post-session that third place could offer a strategic edge into Turn 1.

“P3 is the perfect spot at this track,” he said (via F1.com). “So I'm hoping I can make the most of that at the start.”

It came as a welcome shift after several tricky weekends, as both Ferrari cars finally translated practice pace into qualifying form. Charles Leclerc, who finished on the podium here last year, will be eyeing another strong result at Mexico City tomorrow (October 26).

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Charles Leclerc looks sharp ahead of the Mexico City Grand Prix

Charles Leclerc after the F1 Grand Prix of Mexico qualifying. Source: Getty

Maintaining consistency through all practice sessions, Charles Leclerc arrived in qualifying looking as confident as ever. The Ferrari driver led the way in FP1 with a 1:18.380, showing immediate comfort with the low-grip surface. He followed that up with second place in FP2, just 0.153s behind Max Verstappen, and held fourth in FP3, within half a second of Lando Norris.

The Scuderia had a competitive package in both low and high-fuel runs. But, Leclerc admitted, the circuit’s slippery surface wasn’t easy.

“This Qualifying is very difficult - there is very little grip, so the car is sliding a lot. I'm happy with the job we have done, I don't think there was a lot more in the car,” he explained after stepping out of the car.

Heading into Sunday, the Scuderia sits third in the Constructors’ standings on 334 points, behind Mercedes on 341 and ahead of Red Bull on 331. With both cars starting from the first two rows, Ferrari’s wait for a first victory of 2025 might finally end in Mexico City.

Edited by Riddhiman Sarkar