Ferrari confident of bouncing back in Brazil after Mexico outlier

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Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz remain convinced that Ferrari's disappointing Mexican Grand Prix was a one-off for the Scuderia and that it will bounce back in Brazil this weekend.

Mexico's high-altitude environment weighed on the performance of Ferrari's power unit, with the balance of the Italian outfit's F1-75 was far from optimal.

Despite Sao Paulo's Interlagos circuit being the second highest altitude track on the F1 calendar behind Mexico's Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Leclerc doesn't believe Ferrari will suffer a repeat of the issues it encountered last time out.

"I feel that maybe Mexico was a one-off in the way we struggled a little bit with power unit performance in Mexico and struggled a little bit with balance," said Leclerc.

"And the combination of the two made us struggle quite a lot, but I feel confident it will be better here.

Read also: Leclerc and Ferrari uninterested in 'what is being said externally'

"I mean, Mexico is a very particular track in very particular conditions, extremely high in altitude, so I don’t think it will be the same problems here.

“I hope we don’t have other problems here, but I don’t expect any, so I hope we can have a smooth weekend – even though it looks like it’s going to be very unpredictable with the weather as always here. But that will make it exciting."

Asked if Ferrari can give Red Bull a run for its money this weekend, Leclerc said: "Yes, I believe so, in qualifying at least. In the race we know they always do a step forward [that] we don’t seem to do for now. But if it rains, anything can happen."

Sainz is on the same page as his teammate when it comes to Mexico being an outlier.

"We believe Mexico should be a bit of a one-off; we’ve never been so far off the pace in the dry all year, so I think it’s quite clear that we didn’t get it right in Mexico," commented the Spaniard.

"It doesn’t matter if it was the engine, car balance, tyres, whatever – there’s clearly something that wasn’t working.

"And now we focus on Brazil and Abu Dhabi, important last two races before the end of the season, where we want to get the pace back, we want to keep getting back to fight on the podium with Red Bull and Mercedes.

"I think it’s a very interesting fight up front. [We must] keep having smooth weekends where I can keep learning from the car and prepare for next year."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.