Sainz outpaces rivals for pole in Mexico as Pérez struggles, and Gasly makes a strong Q3 showing amidst tight competition.
After the practice sessions of the Mexican Grand Prix, it’s time for the qualifying session. Ferrari and McLaren drivers have been in the spotlight throughout the weekend, especially during FP3 when they showcased their performance.
In FP1, George Russell set the fastest time, but the Mercedes driver suffered an accident and had to change his chassis, which delayed his progress throughout the weekend. Lewis Hamilton lacks confidence behind the wheel of the Mercedes, while Max Verstappen also seemed frustrated with the handling of his car.
Although it’s never wise to count out the Dutchman in the fight for pole position, Ferrari and McLaren may have the edge, suggesting a four-way battle with the Mercedes and Verstappen playing a supporting role.
Behind them, Sergio Pérez will be eager to perform well on home turf, but the Mexican hasn’t been at his best throughout the weekend. Nevertheless, a surprise from Red Bull F1 or Haas cannot be ruled out, as both teams have shown good form.
Q1 – 18 minutes
Carlos Sainz set the initial benchmark with a time of 1:17.444, four-tenths ahead of Charles Leclerc, as both Ferrari drivers used medium tyres for their runs, similar to Lando Norris, who improved with a 1:17.203.
Lewis Hamilton slotted between the Ferraris, also on medium tyres, while Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll positioned themselves behind Leclerc. Sergio Pérez was further back, while Verstappen went out for a fast lap.
The Dutchman recorded a time of 1:16.998, using soft tyres against the medium tyres of Norris and Sainz. Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto took fourth and fifth positions. The RB F1 drivers, having shown good form throughout the weekend, left the pits late to conserve a stint and their tyres.
Pérez failed to improve on his second attempt, citing difficulties with braking in the many slow corners on this circuit. After two flying laps, the Mexican found himself 1.5 seconds adrift of Verstappen! Nico Hülkenberg placed the Haas in second, and Pierre Gasly managed to go faster.
Russell improved on his second lap to move up to fourth place, trailing behind Gasly and Hülkenberg. Hamilton, however, could only manage eighth. Piastri, despite a faster lap on soft tyres, did no better than 13th.
Conversely, Norris excelled on soft tyres, setting the fastest time of 1:16.505. Piastri, though a second behind Norris, exceeded track limits, resulting in the cancellation of his time.
Albon climbed to fifth and Yuki Tsunoda to seventh, while Piastri and Pérez struggled to post times quick enough to secure a place in Q2. Piastri finished with the 14th fastest time, and Pérez took 15th, as nearly the entire field was on track.
Leclerc moved up to third place, with Tsunoda bettering his time to secure fifth. Magnussen advanced to fourth. Bottas climbed to 14th, knocking out Colapinto, who did not go back out on track. Ocon improved his time but could not do better than 19th.
The drivers eliminated were Colapinto, Piastri, Pérez, Ocon, and Zhou.
Q2 – 15 minutes
Albon set the initial benchmark of Q2 with a time of 1:17.090. All drivers ran on soft tyres, with Verstappen improving to 1:16.629. Leclerc could not manage better than fourth, five-tenths behind Albon, while Sainz positioned himself four-tenths behind Verstappen.
Leclerc’s lap time was cancelled for exceeding track limits. Magnussen took fifth place, ahead of Hülkenberg and Bottas, while Tsunoda completed his lap in fourth position. Norris and the Mercedes drivers returned to the track as Gasly moved into third.
Norris claimed the fastest time with a 1:16.301, with Russell and Hamilton slotting into third and fourth positions, between Verstappen and Sainz. Leclerc returned to the pits before making another attempt to secure a valid time.
Albon improved to move into fifth place. Leclerc ensured a spot in Q3 with the third fastest time, three-tenths behind Norris. Sainz immediately bettered this, positioning himself just one-thousandth of a second behind Verstappen.
Magnussen improved to take eighth place, with Hülkenberg matching him to secure the same position over his teammate. Tsunoda then crashed in the stadium section, disrupting the laps of several drivers, including his teammate Liam Lawson.
The eliminated drivers are Tsunoda, Lawson, Alonso, Stroll, and Bottas.
Q3 – 12 minutes
The start of the third part of qualifying was delayed to replace the damaged TecPro barriers after Tsunoda’s crash. It’s already a notable achievement for Albon, Gasly, Hülkenberg, and Magnussen to reach Q3 alongside both Mercedes, both Ferraris, Norris, and Verstappen.
Hülkenberg posted a time of 1:17.581, significantly quicker than Magnussen’s 1:18.1, but Verstappen set a dominant pace with a 1:16.368. Norris could only manage a 1:16.9, while Albon positioned himself ahead of the Haas drivers.
Gasly took a provisional third spot, ahead of Albon, while Leclerc came within a tenth of Verstappen, securing second place. Sainz, however, delivered a stronger performance with a 1:16.055. Verstappen’s time was subsequently annulled for exceeding track limits. Russell moved up to third, with Hamilton taking fourth, slotting in between the Ferraris and Norris.
The drivers headed back out, with the Haas pair and Albon leading the way, followed by Gasly, then the Ferraris, with Verstappen and Norris behind. Leclerc immediately set the fastest time in the first sector, only for Sainz to better it. Verstappen couldn’t top them in the first sector but was within a tenth.
Magnussen took fifth, Gasly sixth, and Albon eighth. Leclerc completed his lap two-tenths behind Sainz, who improved further to a 1:15.946. Verstappen managed the second-fastest time, while Norris secured third, trailing behind Verstappen.
Sainz clinched pole position ahead of Verstappen, with Norris and Leclerc forming the second row, ready for one of the longest runs down to the first corner. Russell and Hamilton will start from the third row, followed by Magnussen, Gasly, Albon, and Hülkenberg.
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari SF-24 | 1:16.778 | 1:16.515 | 1:15.946 |
| 02 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Honda RBPT RB20 | 1:16.803 | 1:16.514 | 1:16.171 |
| 03 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes MCL38 | 1:16.505 | 1:16.301 | 1:16.260 |
| 04 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari SF-24 | 1:16.972 | 1:16.641 | 1:16.265 |
| 05 | George Russell | Mercedes W15 | 1:17.194 | 1:16.937 | 1:16.356 |
| 06 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes W15 | 1:17.306 | 1:16.973 | 1:16.651 |
| 07 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari VF-24 | 1:17.125 | 1:17.003 | 1:16.886 |
| 08 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault A524 | 1:17.149 | 1:17.048 | 1:16.892 |
| 09 | Alex Albon | Williams Mercedes FW46 | 1:17.189 | 1:16.988 | 1:17.065 |
| 10 | Nico Hülkenberg | Haas Ferrari VF-24 | 1:17.186 | 1:16.995 | 1:17.365 |
| — | —————- | ————— | ———- | ———- | ———- |
| 11 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB Honda RBPT VCARB 01 | 1:17.182 | 1:17.129 | |
| 12 | Liam Lawson | RB Honda RBPT VCARB 01 | 1:17.380 | 1:17.162 | |
| 13 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR24 | 1:17.307 | 1:17.168 | |
| 14 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR24 | 1:17.407 | 1:17.294 | |
| 15 | Valtteri Bottas | Stake F1 Kick Sauber C44 | 1:17.393 | 1:17.817 | |
| — | —————- | ————— | ———- | ———- | ———- |
| 16 | Franco Colapinto | Williams Mercedes FW46 | 1:17.558 | ||
| 17 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes MCL38 | 1:17.597 | ||
| 18 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull Honda RBPT RB20 | 1:17.611 | ||
| 19 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault A524 | 1:17.906 | ||
| 20 | Guanyu Zhou | Stake F1 Kick Sauber C44 | 1:18.072 |
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A battle between McLaren and Ferrari, with three drivers playing the role of arbiters? A battle between McLaren and Ferrari, with three drivers playing the role of arbiters? F1 2024 A battle between McLaren and Ferrari, with three drivers playing the role of arbiters?
Mexican GP : A battle between McLaren and Ferrari Mexican GP : A battle between McLaren and Ferrari Mexican GP : A battle between McLaren and Ferrari
