Giles Richards' qualifying report
Our F1 correspondent breaks down a fascinating session. Do have a read. We’ll also be bringing you live coverage from the race in Mexico City tomorrow – so please join us for that.
Max Verstappen sounds a bit tense: “We tried so many things and it’s just not good – so it’s not the lack of trying, it’s just not finding it. It didn’t allow me to push. I knew already from Q1 that this was not going to be it.”
He says “I need retirements” to challenge the cars above him. After a night of sleep, he will be bang up for it at the start, no doubt.
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McLaren’s first pole in Mexico since Ayrton Senna in 1989 (though a race wasn’t held in Mexico between 1993 and 2014, of course). Kudos to Lando Norris.
And of course to Isack Hadjar – wearing a helmet in tribute to Senna’s old sparring partner Prost – who I think became the first Racing Bulls driver to end a qualifying session in P1 after that exceptional lap in Q1! He’ll start next to Piastri on the grid.
“Just frustrating,” says Oscar Piastri of his disappointing qualifying session. “This weekend – and last weekend really – the pace just hasn’t come yet. Not entirely sure why, we’ll have to do some digging.”
He’s such a cool head but naturally the 24-year-old sounds very flat. It’s the big gap to his McLaren teammate in pole that will be eating away at him.
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Sunday's provisional starting grid
1) Lando Norris (McLaren)
2) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
3) Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
4) George Russell (Mercedes)
5) Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
6) Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
7) Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
8) Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)
9) Oliver Bearman (Haas)
10) Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)
11) Esteban Ocon (Haas)
12) Carlos Sainz (Williams)*
13) Nico Hülkenberg (Sauber)
14) Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
15) Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
16) Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)
17) Alexander Albon (Williams)
18) Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
19) Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
20) Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
*Qualified in seventh; five-place grid penalty
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Norris’s pole-snatching time was 1min 15.586sec, his teammate Piastri was only 1:16.174 in eighth – though he’ll start seventh because of the grid penalty for Sainz. Verstappen put up 1:16.070 in fifth. Suddenly the McLaren (or at least one of them) isn’t looking behind the Red Bull after all.
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“I’m happy to be back on pole – it’s actually been a while, a good feeling,” says a smiling pole-sitter Lando Norris, who’s not been in P1 since Belgium. He admits the Ferraris gave him a scare in Q3.
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Q3 leaderboard
1) Lando Norris
2) Charles Leclerc
3) Lewis Hamilton
4) George Russell
5) Max Verstappen
6) Kimi Antonelli
7) Carlos Sainz
8) Oscar Piastri
9) Isack Hadjar
10) Oliver Bearman
George Russell took fourth at the end there too, pushing Verstappen on to the third row. Wow. Piastri is eighth. Let’s get the official Q3 standings …
Lando Norris takes Mexico GP pole
The McLaren driver is in P1! Charles Leclerc is second on the grid, Lewis Hamilton in third. What a dream result for Norris – he’s way ahead of his title rivals in qualifying.
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Norris takes P1 provisionally – with a terrific time. Can Leclerc respond? It’s between the two …
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Piastri is trying to improve his position and he’s up to P3 – but others can pip him. Verstappen goes second fastest, still behind Leclerc.
Pure racing now, times have been coming down but Leclerc produced a masterful lap there, one of his finest as a qualifying maestro. He’s two-tenths quicker than Norris. Can Lando – and the rest of the grid – respond on their last go?
We’re into the final five minutes of Q3. The Ferraris have found some pace, either side of Norris in second. Verstappen is fourth, Verstappen fifth, Russell sixth.
Hamilton is third fastest – and Leclerc goes faster than anyone! The Ferrari driver pips Norris and is in provisional P1. Charles found seven-tenths from his best Q2 time. Where did that come from?
Norris is in P1, Verstappen is in second, Piastri is up to third. But six cars still have to post a real time in Q3.
Verstappen is out on a flying lap; he gets a slipstream from Russell. Can Max post a time to give McLaren something to think about? Norris is also out in his wake.
Q3 is under way
We have 12 minutes to decide pole position at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Norris will feel it is his to lose given his overall control thus far. For Verstappen and Piastri, is it about not having as many cars between them and Lando at the front?
Q2 leaderboard
1) Lando Norris
2) Lewis Hamilton
3) George Russell
4) Max Verstappen
5) Carlos Sainz
6) Charles Leclerc
7) Oscar Piastri
8) Kimi Antonelli
9) Oliver Bearman
10) Isack Hadjar
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11) Yuki Tsunoda
12) Esteban Ocon
13) Nico Hülkenberg
14) Fernando Alonso
15) Liam Lawson
Oscar Piastri is really having a tough time out there compared to his McLaren teammate, who looks in supreme control.
We’re reaching a Q2 climax and Piastri just edges into seventh! Lawson, Alonso, Ocon, Hülkenberg and Tsunoda are the five drivers are out.
Hamilton goes up to second fastest, Verstappen is third quickest, Russell is fourth. Piastri is out and he’s quick in the first sector – he’ll need to be, as he’s currently in 13th.
Verstappen is on a flying lap. Can he get himself any nearer Norris atop the standings? Max is still off Lando’s pace atop the Q2 standings in the first two sectors.
Hadjar goes fourth fastest for the Racing Bulls, just edging Verstappen who’s fifth quicket. There’s queue of drivers ready to come out.
I expect the Q2 times to come down as we enter the final five minutes. Liam Lawson is out and trying to crack the top 10.
Bearman, who had that impressive early lap, is currently in 11th and the danger zone. Alonso is with him in unlucky 13th. Piastrai is 10th and hovering above.
Norris goes quickest. You get the feeling – famous last words – he’s in control of this qualifying session at the moment and has more pace up his sleeve. Piastri, however, is really struggling.
Hülkenberg goes fastest, Hamilton is second quickest. Then Leclerc and Verstappen take those spots – in that order … the times are tumbling down as qualifying goes on.
Q2 is under way
And the Q1 leader, Hadjar, is out early in an Alain Prost tribute helmet. He was certainly a professor in Q1.
Q1 leaderboard
1) Isack Hadjar
2) Lewis Hamilton
3) George Russell
4) Lando Norris
5) Esteban Ocon
6) Liam Lawson
7) Charles Leclerc
8) Oliver Bearman
9) Max Verstappen
10) Oscar Piastri
11) Carlos Sainz
12) Fernando Alonso
13) Yuki Tsunoda
14) Nico Hülkenberg
15) Kimi Antonelli
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16) Gabriel Bortoleto
17) Alex Albon
18) Pierre Gasly
19) Lance Stroll
20) Franco Colapinto
Not a Q1 leader many predicted. Well in, Isack.
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Antonelli just sneaks into Q2! He’s not one of the five eliminated. Q1 is over and Gabriel Bortoleto, Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly, Lance Stroll and Franco Colapinto are out.
Isack Hadjar: take a bow. Quickest in Q1
Russell goes second quickest, until he’s pipped by Hamilton. Yep, the times are getting faster. Hadjar still quickest, Norris keeping his powder dry.
This track is definitely getting quicker. Isack Hadjar goes quickest, pushing Norris into second spot.
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Ah, Tsunoda is up to ninth, pushing Kimi Antonelli into the danger zone. Verstappen is fifth quickest but still not quite on the pace yet.
Currently in the bottom five spots: Lance Stroll, Nico Hülkenberg, Franco Colapint, Yuki Tsunoda, Pierre Gasly. Tsunoda’s teammate Verstappen is on another flying lap.
Leclerc is now second quickest, Hamilton is up to sixth fastest. Improvements for the Ferraris – can anyone challenge Norris at the top in Q1?
Piastri is up to third, Bearman still has his paws on the second-quickest time. That’s impressive in the (very) early stages.
Hamilton is reporting issues with his tyre temperature on the radio. He’s just been pushed out of the top 10 places by Alonso.
Verstappen is third after his first attempt, behind Norris and Leclerc. But George Russell goes second quickest, pushing Max down to fourth.
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Max Verstappen is out. Let’s see if he can make an impact on Norris on the top of the standings … Charles Leclerc is up into second behind the McLaren.
Norris is quicker than Piastri, who is behind his teammate and Ollie Bearman in the early going. Apparently Oscar has reported a DRS issue on the radio.
Alonso, who missed third practice with an issue, is going faster than his teammate Lance Stroll as they’re both on a first flying lap. Here comes Lando Norris, the first of the title contenders is out.
Reminder: Carlos Sainz has a five-place grid penalty this weekend after an incident in Texas. He’s not out yet but Fernando Alonso is and he’s looking to make an early impact.
Q1 begins
Our 18-minute opening session is officially under way! Who will be the five drivers eliminated in this first qualifying session? The cars are emerging from the pit lane.
Lewis Hamilton sounded a warning to McLaren yesterday on a subject he knows a bit about: how dangerous Verstappen can be in a title fight. “You really have to be cut-throat and that is what Max is,” he said. “He is going to take this from them if they don’t do the same.”
Hamilton has looked far happier with his Ferrari so far in Mexico – and indeed over the last couple of race weekends. Can he turn that into a good qualifying performance? We’re about to find out!
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Less than 15 minutes to go until Q1 begins. The fans in Mexico tend to be a loud and passionate lot. Some famous faces in the crowd already …
Some excellent pre-qualifying reading: Giles Richards recalls the time a three-way title fight actually ended in a dramatic Mexico Grand Prix. Back in 1964, when it sounded like the great Jim Clark had precious little luck.
What about Oscar Piastri? The man leading the drivers’ championship, but who rather urgently needs to find his earlier season form, is staying level-headed. “I’d rather have the lead than be in any other spot,” he pointed out rather accurately this week.
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Pre-qualifying Max Verstappen was asked about the bookies’ tightening odds – and whether he feels he is now the favourite for the drivers’ title. “We’re not stressed about it,” he deflects. “Whatever happens, we can be very proud of the upturn in performance we’ve made.”
You’ll note he does not reply: no.
Stat check: there are five race weekends to go, including this one. Max Verstappen has taken 119 points from the past five rounds – the McLaren drivers have taken 119 points combined in the same span. Momentum is with the world champion; Lando Norris will be focused on taking his practice form into qualifying to start a fightback.
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So back to that final practice: Lando Norris was ahead of the pack and six-tenths quicker than his teammate and Verstappen. Only Norris and Lewis Hamilton appeared happy with their setup in the intense Mexico City heat.
“No grip, front and rear,” complained Max on the radio in P3. Red Bull are apparently making some tweaks before qualifying starts. Will they have a positive impact?
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Constructors' standings
1) McLaren 678pts
2) Mercedes 341pts
3) Ferrari 334pts
4) Red Bull 331pts
5) Williams 111pts
6) Racing Bulls 72pts
7) Aston Martin 69pts
8) Sauber 59pts
9) Haas 48pts
10) Alpine 20pts
So, unless McLaren are hit with an unprecedented 300-point deduction, you may have noticed this is sewn up. But the tussle for second spot is enticingly tight: just 10 points between Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull (trailing in fourth despite five race wins this season). Nicely poised.
Drivers’ standings
1) Oscar Piastri (McLaren) 346pts
2) Lando Norris (McLaren) 332pts
3) Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 306pts
4) George Russell (Mercedes) 252pts
5) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 192pts
6) Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) 142pts
7) Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) 89pts
8) Alexander Albon (Williams) 73pts
9) Nico Hülkenberg (Sauber) 41pts
10) Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) 39pts
The head-scratcher about a three-way title tilt is that a team with two drivers at the top should, theoretically, have an advantage. In that Yuki Tsunoda has not been in a position to disrupt the McLarens and support his teammate. But with McLaren (sportingly) letting their drivers slug it out, Norris and Piastri are getting in each others’ way, while Red Bull are 100% focused on one man.
So there hasn’t been much evidence of the McLarens using crafty tactics to disturb Verstappen’s race. Of course, to slow up Verstappen you have to first be ahead of him on the track … Norris might fancy his chances at the start in Mexico, given how practice went. Let’s see where they stand after qualifying!
Preamble
We’re coming up to Halloween and the nightmare for McLaren is that, despite an all-conquering triumph in the constructors’ championship, the drivers’ title could yet slip through their grasp. The ominous sight of a four-time world champion eating away at the once sizeable gap Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris had atop the standings will be causing a real scare.
Max Verstappen “senses blood in the water”, as Giles Richards put it in his Mexico preview, and recently his Red Bull has looked as fast as the McLaren, if not quicker. Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is a circuit Verstappen enjoys: he’s won this race five times, though he didn’t last year (he finished second to Carlos Sainz).
That said, in today’s fascinating final practice, Verstappen was off the pace and only sixth fastest. Norris was quickest – by far – ahead of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, as British drivers posted the top three times. Piastri was almost six-tenths down on his teammate, however.
Mexico is a unique track: located 2,240 metres above sea level, it’s by far the highest altitude of any venue on the F1 calendar. The thin air has a hefty impact on the car’s aerodynamics meaning even a Monaco-style setup will still see cars generate less downforce than at Monza. Translation: it’s gonna be slippery.
Will Norris’s final practice dominance result in pole? Can Piastri find some pace? Will Verstappen and Red Bull pull something out of the hat? Let’s find out! Qualifying begins at 10pm (BST).
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