Carlos Sainz of Ferrari outperformed Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, both contenders for the Formula One title, to secure pole position at the Mexico City Grand Prix on Saturday.
Sainz described his fastest lap as nearly flawless. Verstappen, the current championship leader for Red Bull, joined the Spaniard on the front row, while Norris of McLaren, trailing by 57 points with five races remaining, qualified in third place. Verstappen, who has won five out of the last six races in Mexico, expressed his delight at being on the front row, admitting that he did not anticipate it would be possible. However, Verstappen’s first flying lap in the final shootout was invalidated due to exceeding track limits, putting all his hopes on his final attempt. Norris acknowledged Sainz and Verstappen’s impressive laps, particularly highlighting Sainz’s outstanding performance throughout the entire weekend. He expressed satisfaction with his own third-place finish, optimistic about utilizing his car’s speed advantage during the lengthy opening stint. This marks Sainz’s sixth career pole position and his first in over a year.
Despite leaving Ferrari for Williams at the end of the season and being out of contention for the championship, the Spaniard clocked the best time of one minute 15.946 seconds.
“Around Mexico, there are often moments when it feels impossible to string together a good lap due to the excessive amount of sliding,” he expressed. “However, today, I must say that my two laps in Q3 were remarkably similar, almost flawless. I’m eager to maintain my position in P1 as we approach Turn One, and hopefully, our race pace will be strong enough to secure a victory.” Following his Ferrari one-two triumph in Texas last weekend, Charles Leclerc will commence the race from fourth place, while the Mercedes duo of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton will start in fifth and sixth positions respectively.
Kevin Magnussen, representing Haas, secured seventh place in the qualifying session, with Pierre Gasly from Alpine in eighth and Alex Albon from Williams in ninth. Nico Hulkenberg from Haas completed the top 10 on the starting grid. Red Bull’s home crowd favorite, Sergio Perez, continued to struggle with a disappointing performance, finishing in 18th place on the grid. His lap time was nearly eight tenths of a second slower than Verstappen’s fastest time in the initial phase.
“I faced difficulties every time I tried to brake as I ended up exerting excessive force on the tyres, making it challenging for me to bring the car to a stop,” Perez explained. “Over the past three races, I have been unable to effectively control the car.”
“I am required to adjust my braking technique significantly, and although this issue is evident in the data, we are currently unable to resolve it,” stated McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who had recorded the fastest time in the final practice session. However, it was a surprising turn of events for the young Australian, as he only managed to secure the 17th position, while Norris smoothly surpassed the initial challenge with the quickest lap.
Piastri admitted, “The circuit posed a challenge, but I don’t believe today’s outcome was solely due to its difficulty. It was primarily a result of my own grave mistake.”
With Ferrari making strides in the constructors’ championship, trailing Red Bull by just eight points and McLaren by a further 40, Perez and Piastri’s grid positions dealt a severe blow to their respective teams.
The second phase of qualifying came to an abrupt end with 10 seconds remaining, as Yuki Tsunoda crashed his RB in a desperate attempt to regain a spot in the top 10. This came after the two Haas drivers had pushed him down to 11th place, while his teammate Liam Lawson secured the 12th position.
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, a two-time world champion, qualified in 13th place, marking his record-breaking 400th race.
Williams’ impressive Argentine rookie, Franco Colapinto, will start from the 16th position.
