Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc announces engagement ahead of Sao Paulo race

SAO PAULO (AP) — Charles Leclerc was all smiles at a news conference ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix, where a good result could get him closer to fourth place in the drivers’ standings. His happiness, though, had more to do with developments off the track: he just got engaged.

Leclerc will marry his long-time partner Alexandra Saint Mleux.

“I’m very, very happy, obviously. It is a special week, full of emotions,” Leclerc said Thursday. “It’s obviously a very special moment for anyone to do that step. And, yeah, Alex and I are incredibly happy.”

The season itself hasn’t given Leclerc as many reasons to celebrate. The Ferrari driver entered the year hoping to contend for the title, but with four races left he only has fourth place left to fight for.

He is currently fifth, 54 points behind Mercedes driver George Russell.

Leclerc, who finished a career-best second in the 2022 season, arrives at the iconic Interlagos racetrack on a good run after finishing second at the United States Gran Prix in Austin and in third place in Mexico City last weekend.

“The momentum is with us. We’ve had good last few races, which is a good thing, but we cannot really rely on the past for the future,” Leclerc said. “It’s all about starting from zero again.”

Ferrari also holds a one-point lead over Mercedes for second place in the constructors’ championship, where McLaren has already secured the top spot.

“This weekend we are focusing step by step on what we can control and, try and make our processes the best, the most perfect possible,” Leclerc added. “And then we’ll see where we end up.”

Leclerc’s best finish at Interlagos is fourth place in 2022. He came fifth in 2021 and 2024, and seventh in 2018.

“I hope that is finally the weekend where I get back on the podium here in Brazil,” he said.

Verstappen looks to close gap

Max Verstappen knows that the odds of capturing a fifth straight F1 title are against him. But he’s not giving up yet.

The Red Bull driver is 36 points behind Lando Norris, who only has a one-point lead over McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri.

“We just try to do everything we can until the end,” Verstappen said. “It’s 36 points, still a decent gap.”

That gap was even bigger just a few races ago, when Verstappen’s chances appeared to have vanished. But the Dutch driver has won three of the past five races to get back into contention.

“At one point when you are over 100 points behind, and we are still talking about being in this fight, that is very impressive,” he said.

Verstappen knows how to compete in Brazil, where he won in 2019, 2023 and in 2024 — when he rallied from 17th at the start.

“I know if the car is good and fast enough to win, we’ll do that,” Verstappen said. “If it’s not, then I think naturally at one point you’re not in the fight anymore.”

No ‘mysteries’ about Piastri’s form

Piastri isn’t buying into any conspiracy theories about why he has struggled lately while his teammate Norris has surged into the standings lead.

Piastri finished fifth in the last two races while Norris came second in the U.S. and then won in Mexico. But Piastri tried to quell any speculation that the team is favoring Norris.

“No, it’s not the case,” Piastri said. “I think the last couple of weekends have been a little bit trickier, but we’ve got answers. There are not too many mysteries. I think there’s questions on why some differences have cropped up in terms of how I need to drive and stuff like that, but everything is explainable. So, there’s none of that going on.”

Bortoleto to make home debut

A year ago, Gabriel Bortoleto watched the Brazilian GP from the outside as a McLaren academy driver. Now the Kick Sauber rookie will take part in his home race for the first time.

The 21-year-old Bortoleto will become the first Brazilian F1 driver racing at Interlagos since Felipe Massa in 2017.

“I want to feel how it is, Interlagos and everything. But I don’t see it pressure-wise. I don’t need to perform better or worse because I’m in Brazil. It’s the same thing. I’m going to do my job,” Bortoleto said. “I’m happy that my family is going to be around, and a lot of Brazilian fans, and that’s for sure bringing a lot of good energy for me.”

Even though Bortoleto was born in Osasco, a city in the state of Sao Paulo located less than 20 miles from the racetrack, he does not view it as having a home advantage.

“It’s a track I’ve not been to so many times in the past. I’ve driven here once, but four years ago with a GT car. So, I don’t know the track very much,” Bortoleto said. “But I am very excited about driving here in front of the Brazilian crowd.”

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