It was a surprise for everyone to see the Mercedes F1 team topping the timing sheets in FP2 in Miami. No one would have been more surprised than Ferrari driver and championship leader Charles Leclerc.

The Monegasque driver finished behind George Russell in the FP2 in second. Coming to Miami, Leclerc would have been expecting to fight with the Red Bull driver and world champion Max Verstappen and not Russell. However, he still believes Max will bounce back, come qualifying.

The German team ascending to the top has sent shock waves through the grid as they have been struggling this season. So after the FP2 session, the championship leader mentioned he is expecting to fight against not only Verstappen but also Mercedes.

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc analyzes his performance after Day 1 in Miami

Since Miami is a new track, it is difficult to gauge the performances accurately. But this won’t bother Charles, who considers both Mercedes and Red Bull as contenders for the win this weekend.

The Ferrari driver gave his views on his performances after the two Free Practice sessions. He also gave his opinions on who will be fighting this weekend at the front of the grid.

“Max will definitely be quick once they fix the problems. Mercedes has been the surprise so far. They look strong, even in the high fuel runs in the car. They could be the surprise of the weekend. It would be nice if they could join the fight between Red Bull and us,” said Leclerc.

Leclerc also revealed his team’s mentality before competing against F1 giants like Mercedes and Red Bull in qualifying. “With a view to Saturday, it is certainly necessary that we take a step forward. We are going to analyze the data as much as possible and try to get everything done. Also, in terms of driving, we need to take a step forward to have a good Saturday,” said the championship leader.

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The idea of a three-way fight for the win has certainly made this weekend even more exciting than it previously was. It would be fascinating to see how Leclerc and Ferarri adjust to having the German team alongside them in the race on Sunday. Hopefully, we will get a three-way battle for the race win on Saturday as well.

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