zLeclerc finished runner-up in Sunday’s race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, having run alone for much of the 71-lap affair until the closing stages when a hard-charging Max Verstappen just failed to overtake. 

Leclerc’s podium was his second in succession and came after he and team mate Hamilton had qualified P2 and P3 on the grid, with both challenging eventual race winner Lando Norris into Turn 1. 

“The weekend overall for us is a good one. We had a strong pace yesterday, we are not that far away to fight for the position, and P2-P3 was a good result,” said Vasseur after Sunday’s race. 

“But I think Lando [Norris] showed on Friday afternoon that on the long stint he was on another planet, again, he did today. For sure that if you are not P1 in Turn 1, the race can be a bit different, because it’s not easy to overtake.” 

Hamilton eventually slumped to eighth at the chequered flag having been handed a 10-second penalty for gaining a lasting advantage after cutting across Turn 4 in his battle with Verstappen.