Charles Leclerc’s battle for a second-place finish slipped away on lap 63 at the Mexican Grand Prix, where he was overtaken by McLaren’s Lando Norris. Ferrari’s team boss Fred Vasseur didn’t hold back on what he saw as the deciding factor: blue-flagged back-markers. “It’s your analysis [that Norris was faster], but I’m not really aligned,” Vasseur insisted. “Charles had good pace, but we lost three seconds with the guys who were blue-flagged.”
After a strong weekend with the SF-24 showing competitive pace, Ferrari had their eyes on a second-place finish, which would have capped off an already intense race. But with back-markers slowing him down, Leclerc found himself unable to fend off Norris, who seized the opportunity and left Ferrari in third.
Though Leclerc showed impressive form throughout the Mexican GP, he was visibly frustrated with P3, a sentiment echoed by his boss. “I’m a bit upset with the story with the blue flag,” Vasseur said, “it cost us P2.”
Vasseur is now turning his focus to the upcoming Brazilian GP, which will run in the Sprint format, adding extra points to the championship stakes. After a leap in the standings over Red Bull, Ferrari now sits at 537 points, closing in on McLaren, who lead with 566. The championship remains within reach if Ferrari keeps the momentum high in the final four races.
As the season hurtles to a close, Ferrari and McLaren find themselves locked in a constructors’ showdown where every position matters. With the Brazilian GP around the corner, Ferrari knows they can’t afford any more missed chances—or slowdowns from back-markers—if they want to steal the crown from the papaya squad. For Leclerc and Ferrari, the chase is on.
