Charles Leclerc insisted that Ferrari are "still targeting the title" after the Italian-based team claimed a dominant one-two at the United States Grand Prix. (More Motorsports News)
Leclerc, who claimed an eighth win of his career last weekend, is now just 22 points behind McLaren's Lando Norris in the drivers’ standings after sealing a fifth podium in the last six races.
And with team-mate Carlos Sainz finishing just behind him, it has given Ferrari a significant boost in the constructors' battle, with their new total of 496 meaning that they trail second-placed Red Bull by only eight points, while McLaren remain in the lead on 544.
"Yeah, very, very happy," Leclerc answered. "Now we are still targeting the title – it's a long way to go, but it's a good start to this triple header."
Sainz echoed his team-mate's confidence heading into the final five races of the season, with the pair enduring a difficult campaign last year that saw them finish fifth and seventh respectively in the drivers' championship.
Both Leclerc and Sainz have already surpassed their season totals from the 2023 campaign, and the Spaniard is looking forward to his final five races with the Scuderia before he joins Williams next year.
"Last year, we spent all of the races defending, losing position," Sainz explained.
"This year, it looks we can just go on attack mode, don't think too much about tyres and just push and overtake which is fun, and enjoy it a lot, and I just hope it stays like that until the end of the year."
However, team principal Fred Vasseur was more measured in his approach to challenging for both titles, saying Ferrari are focused on "pure performance" going forward rather than on their position in the constructors' standings.
"We're not thinking about the championship, and I want to keep the team in this mood because I think it’s important to be focussed on pure performance, session after session, and not to have somewhere in your mind the championship," Vasseur said.
"One week or two weeks ago, everybody was speaking about McLaren. Before this, it was Mercedes and before this, it was Red Bull. We have to take it with a bit of distance. We never spoke about something like this because we know it’s still a long way.
"If something can arrive at the end, it will be more by the performance day per day than by the approach of the overall championship. We know perfectly that next week will be a completely different challenge.
"We will start from scratch, and you can have a completely different result in Mexico in one week time."
DRIVERS TO WATCH
Charles Leclerc – Ferrari
Having put on an impressive performance in Austin last time out, Leclerc will be keen to make inroads to Norris and beyond in the drivers' championship.
Leclerc took the eighth of his Formula 1 wins at the last United States Grand Prix. If he takes another victory in the remaining five races, it will be his best year in terms of race triumphs in the competition (that would be four, surpassing the three in 2022).
He has also won two of the last four races in Formula 1 (Italy and the United States), as many wins for the Monegasque in the competition as in the previous 55 (Monaco 2024 and Austria 2022).
And Leclerc will be confident of adding to that tally, having enjoyed recent trips to Mexico. He is the only driver on the current grid to achieve at least two pole positions at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez (2019 and 2023).
Should he do so again, he will become the third driver to achieve three in Mexico City after Ayrton Senna (three) and Jim Clark (four), and the first to repeat pole position around the circuit since the Brazilian legend did so in 1988 and 1989.
Ferrari enter the weekend with confidence. They achieved their second one-two of the season last time out (also in Australia). If they can do that again, it will be the first time since Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen in 2008 that the Italian team have managed three in a single year.
Max Verstappen – Red Bull
However, after winning the sprint race and finishing ahead of championship rival Norris, Max Verstappen will be looking to increase his advantage in the drivers' standings to try and wrap up his fourth consecutive title as soon as possible.
But the Dutchman has now gone eight races without a pole position and nine without a triumph - his worst respective streaks since the penultimate round in 2020, when he went 17 qualifying rounds without a win and 11 consecutive races without a victory.
Verstappen, though, will be confident of halting that streak around a track he has enjoyed in recent years. The Red Bull driver (five) is only behind Lewis Hamilton (six) for podium finishes around the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, though the three-time world champion has scored more points (147) than the Briton (137).
The Dutchman has won all three races corresponding to Mexico City since the naming change back in 2021. Only in Abu Dhabi (four) has he won more in a row in his Formula 1 career.
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Drivers
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 354
2. Lando Norris (McLaren) – 297
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 275
4. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 247
5. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) – 215
Constructors
1. McLaren – 544
2. Red Bull – 504
3. Ferrari – 496
4. Mercedes – 344
5. Aston Martin – 86
