Leclerc wary of Mexican threat after grabbing unlikely pole

Charles Leclerc conceded he did not expect to start from pole position at the Mexico City Grand Prix - and is way of the 811m race to Turn 1.

The Ferrari driver's best effort was a 1:17.166s which was 0.067s quicker than the initial effort set by team-mate Carlos Sainz, and a further 0.097s from Max Verstappen who had topped every practice session.

After having a difficult Friday, Leclerc said he did not expect to challenge for the pole, but a run on a new set of Soft tyres on the first Q3 laps set him on course for back-to-back poles.

"I did not expect to be on pole position, we thought we were lacking quite a bit after FP3," Leclerc explained.

"But for some reason, once we put everything together, it went well.

"On the new tyres we gained a lot, but I'm already focusing on tomorrow's race because it's amazing pole position, but now we need to convert it into a win. Of course, it's going to be very difficult."

Leclerc: We've had great pace all weekend

Leclerc felt Ferrari has had good enough pace throughout the weekend to stay close to the front runners, but concedes that it might be tough to sustain in the race.

"We've had pretty good pace all weekend. I'm not sure whether it's enough to be challenging for the win, but we'll try everything in our hands to get it," he said.

Starting from pole at Mexico is often a tough challenge due to the tow effect that occurs into Turn 1, something Leclerc is wary about heading into the race.

He added: "I'm not sure it's the best place to start here but anyway, that's fine. I'm happy. I'll take that pole position."