George Russell says Ferrari's smaller turbo will be "quite an advantage" at Mexico City's high-altitude circuit, where thin air at 2250 meters makes it harder for conventional turbos to spool up. Ferrari's lower-inertia design trades peak horsepower for quicker response, a bet that could pay off when there's less exhaust energy to work with. Turbo lag, Russell warns, will be "a big factor" all weekend.
Charles Leclerc isn't buying the favorite tag. Despite back-to-back strong weekends in Singapore and Austin, Ferrari hasn't won since Silverstone in July, and Leclerc insists Mercedes—where champion-elect Kimi Antonelli just won in Austin—remains the class of the field. Ferrari's Achilles heel: blistering Friday pace that evaporates when qualifying starts. With all four top teams separated by tenths, execution will decide Mexico. If Ferrari can finally nail the setup window on Saturday, that turbo advantage might actually translate to the grid.
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