Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc both expressed optimism over Ferrari’s start to the Mexican Grand Prix weekend, with the pair particularly encouraged by their long-run pace.

Sainz topped second practice after coming second in FP1, while Leclerc backed him up in fourth after missing FP1 due to Ollie Bearman’s latest outing for the Scuderia.

Bearman, who will join Haas next year, was involved in an incident with the Williams of Alex Albon in the first practice, sustaining damage to the front-left corner of the Ferrari. 

Sainz and Leclerc's display comes a week on from an impressive showing in the United States, with the pair achieving a second one-two this year after doing so in Australia.

If they do so again in Mexico, it will be the first time since Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen in the 2008 season that Ferrari have managed three one-two finishes in a single year.

And Sainz is confident of their chances, saying: "We hit the ground running in FP1 with a good car, good set-up, then all FP1 and FP2 we just worked in fine-tuning a couple of things," Sainz said.

“Nothing major, so yeah, I’m quite happy with how everything feels. Especially the long runs feel good.

"I think when it comes to qualifying we’ll have a lot of challenge from our competitors, and over one lap it will be a tight battle.”

Leclerc echoed Sainz’s feelings after taking over from Bearman, with the Monegasque aiming to claim his fourth race win of the season that would surpass his 2022 total. 

“It felt good. It was a bit of a messy FP2 for everybody with the red flag of George [Russell] at the beginning," Leclerc said.

“It was quite a good FP1 to miss on paper because we would have half an hour more in FP2, but at the end it was just not great, because in the FP2 we couldn’t do the maximum laps that we wanted to do.

“But anyway, the feeling is good with the car. For me, even though we did two, three laps, we were still straight away in the pace. The long run seems to be good, so that’s really positive.”

If the words of former FIFA vice president Austin “Jack” Warner are anything to go by, then Trinidad and Tobago is basically grasping at straws where qualification to the 2026 FIFA World Cup is concerned.

In fact, Warner, known for his blunt personality, is of the view that the Twin Island Republic will not make another appearance at the global showpiece anytime soon, as it lacks a proper football structure and, by extension, competence from a coaching perspective.

Even with the increased opportunity opened up by United States, Canada, and Mexico securing automatic berths as hosts, Warner believes this offers very little hope for the Soca Warriors chances. Three teams will qualify directly to join the hosts as Concacaf’s representatives at the World Cup, while another two will have a second chance at qualification through an inter-confederation playoff. 

Trinidad and Tobago’s lone FIFA World Cup appearance to date was in Germany in 2006.

“Let me tell you this, and who is vex well, vex. We will not see a World Cup final in football in our collective lifetime, not even for the one coming up (2026), and remember, I have told you so,” Warner told Andre Errol Baptiste on the ISports radio program last Friday.

“We have gotten more chances and more slots to qualify, but our chances will not be better but worse. First of all, we don’t have the talent at the top, and in terms of coaching, we don’t have that will to allow our football players to succeed. We don’t have the competition at the bottom. Ask the average Trinidad and Tobago footballer to name five footballers in the country. He can’t. The average Trini cannot, and something is wrong,” he added.

Former Soca Warriors Angus Eve (left), then assistant Derek King (centre), and goalkeeper coach Clayton Ince.

The recent sacking of Angus Eve and the hiring of his assistant Derek King on an interim basis, Warner said, doesn't help the situation.

“I know Derek King very well; he used to coach my club called Joe Public. I know him very well, but Derek King is out of his league. Derek King does not understand the nuances of coaching at the World Cup level, and that is the difference I am talking about. Derek King is not in Leo Beenhakker’s class, so to speak, and England got rid of Gareth Southgate, so what are we doing in terms of this?” Warner questioned. 

Though it is argued that the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) lacks the adequate finances to compensate a high-calibre coach, Warner, a former Minister of National Security, alluded to the possibility of the current government shifting funds around to provide more support for sports.

“If you get the money to pay a top-class coach, you will spend less money in the judiciary and less money in national security. The money that you will save from national security, you can pump back into sports. It follows that you have to prioritise and see what is important to you, and if sport is the vehicle for national unity and development and for people’s pride, put the money where it is,” Warner argued.

“I recall where sportsmen and sportswomen had to spend their own money attending to injuries. It does not help until we get serious about sports. Nothing from nothing will leave nothing,” he noted. 

While taking a swipe at corporate companies in Trinidad and Tobago that refuse to render assistance until after the fact, Warner used the Jamaica Football Federation’s (JFF) hiring of Englishman Steve McClaren to drive home his point about national pride.

“They will not get corporate support. They (corporate TT) only come at the end. They come at the end, not at the beginning, where they are badly needed,” Warner stated.

He continued: “There is no local coach that can take Trinidad and Tobago to the World Cup at this time, and I mean that sincerely, and that is not a criticism. That is a realistic statement; we don’t have it; we just don’t have it.

“Jamaica is looking for a top-class coach; they have never considered Dwight Yorke. Look where Jamaica has gone. They don’t have the energy and oil we have, but they have the pride. We don’t have that, and that is the difference.” 

On another note, the former Concacaf boss expressed optimism that   his legal battles regarding a 2015 indictment for corruption, will be behind him soon.

“The matter will be thrown out, but it takes time in Trinidad and Tobago. All the colleagues that have been arrested and imprisoned in the United States have since appealed based on the Supreme Court statement and judgment (that prosecutors in the US overreached their boundaries when they applied laws of the United States to groups of people, many of whom are foreign nationals).

“I am now waiting to see what will come out of these appeals, and I will take it from there, but I don’t want to say too much on that at this stage, except to say, I am very optimistic,” Warner ended.

Formula One will again hold six sprint weekends in 2024 with discussions ongoing about potential tweaks to the format.

The sprint weekends will be at the returning Chinese Grand Prix followed by races in Miami, Austria, Austin, Brazil and Qatar.

A number of drivers and team principals, including Red Bull boss Christian Horner, have called for changes to the sprint format.

It is likely that qualifying for the sprint will return to being held on Friday ahead of the sprint race on Saturday, which will be followed by qualifying for Sunday’s grand prix.

Other options may be considered to shake up the format, with changes to rules over parc ferme conditions – where alterations to the car are prohibited – and even a move to reverse part of the grid order for the sprint among possible options.

F1 bosses are keen to retain the sprint and believe having meaningful action on Friday, Saturday and Sunday of a grand prix weekend bring benefits for TV audiences and fans in attendance.

Stefano Domenicali, president and CEO of Formula One, said: “I am delighted to announce six exciting venues for next season’s F1 sprint events, including two new hosts China and Miami, both of which will be fantastic additions and provide great racing for all our fans at the race and watching at home.

“Since its creation in 2021, the sprint has been consistent in delivering increased audiences on TV, more on track entertainment for the fans at events and increased fan engagement on social and digital platforms, and we are looking forward to the exciting events next year.”

A decision on how the sprint format will look next season is likely to be made in January.

Speaking in November, Horner said: “I think it’s clear that the sprint needs to evolve a bit. I can understand the concept and it being action on all three days, which for the promoter and for the fans has an interest.

“But I think the sprints in some cases have been slightly underwhelming – there’s no pit stop, it tends to stay in grid order and it’s a little bit like getting a medal for a long run.

“I think there can be a little bit more racing introduced, but then you’ve got to look at the consequences of that, if you were to reverse the grid, if there were points involved etc, etc.”