Were Ferrari 'protecting something' with poor Mexican GP outing? Sky Sports pundit has his say

Ferrari did not run in optimum conditions and were somewhat compromised at the Mexican GP last weekend, says SkyF1 pundit Martin Brundle.

Both Ferrari drivers were nowhere in contention for the podium in Mexico or a fight against Red Bull and Mercedes. Charles Leclerc finished in P6, while his teammate Carlos Sainz went P5.

However, neither driver showed speed close to that displayed by the frontrunners. In his weekly column on Sky Sports, Brundle talked about how it was surprising to see the extent of Ferrari's struggles in Mexico.

According to Brundle, the altitude of Mexico City was likely not conducive for the Ferrari power unit. He wrote:

"The main intrigue was that both Red Bulls were on used soft tyres, and both Mercedes were on new medium tyres on the grid, and for a while as the Red Bull tyres began to cry enough it appeared that Mercedes could run much longer at a reasonable pace and seize the initiative."

He continued:

"Meanwhile Ferrari were simply not at the races; they didn’t have the pace despite having large amounts of downforce attached and were clearly protecting something at this 7200 ft-altitude circuit as they were destined to finish a minute behind.”

Brundle did, however, point out the stark contrast in Ferrari's performance with Valtteri Bottas' Alfa Romeo, which performed well during the weekend. He wrote:

"It must be said the Ferrari power unit in Bottas’ Alfa Romeo was relatively flying along nicely, although he would ultimately have been disappointed with only one championship point in 10th from sixth on the grid.”

Bottas finished tenth.

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Ferrari boss reflects on difficult weekend in Mexico

Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto reflected on a tough weekend for the team. He said that the most important takeaway from Mexico was Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc bringing the car home and maximising every opportunity. He said:

"It was a very difficult weekend for us, and it was clear that we were already struggling yesterday in qualifying, and that was accentuated even more in today's race. There is a lot that needs to improve, but when faced with a difficult weekend like this, it is essential to bring the cars home and pick up as many points as possible."

He continued:

"Charles and Carlos did the best they could, and the way they tackled the first few corners after the start was exemplary. It is vitally important that we improve in the last two races so as to end the season to the best of our ability."

The Italian team will hope to fend off Mercedes, who have closed the gap in the constructors' championship on Ferrari (487) to 40 points.