F1, Ferrari and Leclerc slow: engine indiscretion arrives

Ferrari stumbled into worst qualifying of the year in Mexico

Ferrari has to deal with its worst qualifying of the year in Mexico. After a World Championship spent vying for pole position with rival Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc finished just seventh at the North American track, while Carlos Sainz will start from fifth.

The Monegasque especially complained of engine problems, and did not just blame the set-up as Carlos Sainz did: “There is something strange, in the straights I lose too much.”

According to rumors reported by Auto Motor und Sport, at the root of Leclerc’s engine difficulties is Ferrari’s specific choice to reduce the power output of the power unit due to reliability issues. The Cavallino fears a rupture of the turbo, which is very susceptible to the changes in altitude of the Mesisco City circuit, and would have decided to intervene in this way, favoring lon-run and not single lap performance.