Mexico GP: Sainz storms to pole from title rivals Verstappen, Norris

Q1:

The strategy game in the first part of F1 Mexico GP qualifying saw the pair of McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes drivers go for the medium tyres for their first run. They tried to make it in Q2 using the yellow-walled tyres, but the track evolution didn’t help them.

They had to take the soft compound and were still in danger. The track limits caught out Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. The dropzone was a close off for multiple drivers with Williams’ Franco Colapinto in 16th with a 1m17.558s margin.

He pipped both Piastri (1m17.597s) and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez (1m17.611s), who were only 17th and 18th – being knocked out in Q1 itself. Alpine’s Esteban Ocon (1m17.617s) was 19th with Kick Sauber’s (1m18.072s) 20th again.

It was McLaren’s Lando Norris on top with a 1m18.505s lap, as he led Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz who made a late improvement, while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was third. Even the other Ferrari of Charles Leclerc had to improve late to be fourth.

Q2:

The second part in F1 Mexico GP qualifying did not start well for Leclerc after his initial lap was deleted due to track limits at Turn 2. He went around again to be fourth in the end behind Norris (1m16.301s), Verstappen and Sainz in the Top 3.

The session under red flag after Visa Cash App RB’s Yuki Tsunoda crashed out at Turn 12 after locking-up and going over the kerb. He was 11th and missed out on Q2 with a 1m17.129s lap as his off denied a chance for Liam Lawson (1m17.162s) as well.

He was 12th in the end while improving ahead of the Aston Martin pair of Fernando Alonso (1m17,168s) and Lance Stroll (1m17.294s), where both were starting their fast lap. Kick Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas (1m17.817s) was 15th on a to-be quick lap.

Q3:

The start of the final part in F1 Mexico GP was delayed after the barriers at Turn 12 needed some repair due to Tsunoda’s off. Once it got going, Verstappen looked like to stamp his authority, but his lap was deleted due to track limits at Turn 2.

When the lap was deleted, Sainz had pipped him to provisional F1 pole with a 1m16.055s lap ahead of Ferrari teammate Leclerc (1m16.415s) in 1-2 formation. The Mercedes pair followed with George Russell ahead of Lewis Hamilton.

Norris was only fifth after his first run. The final run saw Sainz improve further with a 1m15.946s lap to take F1 pole in Mexico GP by a margin of 0.225s, as Verstappen (1m16.171s) managed to drag his car to second and crucially ahead of Norris (1m16.260s).

Leclerc (1m16.265s) was only fourth after a moment at Turn 9 as he ended up ahead of the Mercedes pair of George Russell (1m16.356s) and Lewis Hamilton (1m16.651s), where the latter had a moment in the final part of the lap.

Haas’ Kevin Magnussen (1m16.886s) was the best of the rest in seventh ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly (1m16.892s), with Willians’ Alexander Albon (1m17.065s) ending up ninth from the other Haas of Nico Hulkenberg (1m17.365s), who had a moment in Turn 12 to lose out.