The Qualifying session for the Mexico Grand Prix brought high tension and unexpected outcomes as drivers faced evolving track conditions and struggled to adapt. Despite consistent efforts, major players like Oscar Piastri and Sergio Perez fell short in Q1, leaving a few surprises for fans and teams alike. Here’s a breakdown of the session.
Track Temperature and Strategy
The Mexico circuit’s track temperature saw a dramatic rise, reaching 43.4 degrees Celsius, a full 10 degrees hotter than the conditions in FP3 earlier in the day. This increase significantly affected grip and tire performance. Many teams opted for the medium tires to conserve softs for later rounds, including Ferrari, who strategically sent Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc on medium compounds in Q1.
Qualifying Format
Qualifying in Mexico follows the standard Formula 1 format. Q1 spans 18 minutes, with the five slowest drivers being eliminated. Q2 is a 15-minute session that also eliminates five drivers, leaving the top 10 to fight for pole position in the 12-minute Q3 session. Each driver has two soft tire runs, giving them the opportunity to set competitive lap times.
Q1 Highlights and Key Incidents
17 Minutes Remaining: Bottas Leads Early Laps
Valtteri Bottas was the first out, setting an initial pace for the session. Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu soon joined him, eager to escape his recent trend of qualifying last—a position he’s held for the past seven races. This set the stage for a tense session as drivers fought against time and traffic.
16 Minutes Remaining: Ferrari Chooses Mediums
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc completed their first laps on medium tires. Sainz set a strong benchmark with a 1m 17.444s, followed closely by Leclerc. This was a tactical choice to conserve softs for later runs, but it showcased the track’s evolving nature as conditions changed with every lap.
14 Minutes Remaining: Perez Takes to the Track
Local hero Sergio Perez emerged on track amid enthusiastic cheers from the stands. He initially placed seventh but was later demoted to eighth, facing a significant deficit he would struggle to overcome.
12 Minutes Remaining: Norris Tops the Timing Sheets
Lando Norris set the session’s fastest time, clocking in two-tenths faster than Verstappen on medium tires. McLaren’s strategy looked promising, with Norris showcasing excellent pace and control. Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri managed to climb only to eighth—a worrying sign for McLaren, which needed him to claim points and positions to assist Norris in the overall standings.
10 Minutes Remaining: Verstappen and Norris Lead
Both Red Bull drivers set their first times, with Verstappen going two-tenths clear of Norris on softs. However, Norris, on medium tires, demonstrated McLaren’s impressive pace as Mercedes and McLaren opted for the medium compound. It highlighted the potential for intense competition.
8 Minutes Remaining: Aston Martin’s Strong Climb
Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll switched to a second set of softs, leveraging the evolving track conditions. They briefly climbed high on the leaderboard but were soon pushed back by Yuki Tsunoda and Nico Hulkenberg as the track ramped up in performance.
6 Minutes Remaining: Russell Escapes the Drop Zone
George Russell leaped to fourth on softs, while his teammate Lewis Hamilton reached eighth. Despite improvements, Hamilton’s position remained precarious. Gasly had meanwhile jumped to second, intensifying the fight as Russell, Zhou, Ocon, Piastri, and Perez fell into the drop zone, with Hamilton sitting uncomfortably on the bubble.
5 Minutes Remaining: Disaster for Piastri as Norris Takes Top Spot
Norris reclaimed the fastest time, but Oscar Piastri encountered further struggles. After locking up on his initial flying lap, he had his lap time deleted for a track limits infringement, placing him outside the top 15. He was reportedly too slow, and despite his attempts to secure a Q2 position, his pace did not improve.
3 Minutes Remaining: Last Push for the Drop Zone
Magnussen, Ocon, Zhou, Piastri, and Perez remained at risk of elimination, with Leclerc also close to the danger zone. Piastri attempted another flying lap on the same tires, knowing the importance of scoring points for McLaren in their battle against Red Bull’s Verstappen. Norris continued to dominate, while Piastri’s struggles raised concerns.
2 Minutes Remaining: Perez’s Inconsistent Sector Times
Sergio Perez attempted a final lap, setting personal bests but only advancing to P15. Piastri, on his second push lap, reached P14, narrowly evading the elimination zone. However, as the session concluded, both drivers would find themselves eliminated in a shocking turn of events.
1 Minute Remaining: Ocon Fails to Improve, Eliminating Key Contenders
Esteban Ocon, the last to cross the line, failed to make a significant improvement, cementing the elimination of key figures. The Alpine driver narrowly missed progressing, ending a session that saw Piastri, Perez, and Colapinto fall short.
Final Elimination Standings for Q1
- 16th – Franco Colapinto
Williams Team Principal James Vowles reflected on Colapinto’s performance:
“It’s a close field out there, and with Franco it was just a tiny
lock up into Turn 4, and he lost two tenths.” Despite a commendable
effort, Colapinto was ultimately knocked out by Kevin Magnussen. - 17th – Oscar Piastri
The Australian’s surprising exit in P17 was marked by a series of
misfortunes, including a lock-up and a track limits infringement. Despite
showing promising form in previous sessions, Piastri struggled to maintain
competitive pace throughout Q1. - 18th – Sergio Perez
On soft tires throughout Q1, Perez lacked the confidence to push
aggressively. Despite a final push that saw him set personal best sectors,
he was eliminated with a P18 finish, leaving Red Bull fans in Mexico
disappointed. - 19th – Esteban Ocon
Ocon’s Alpine showed flashes of pace but ultimately could not advance,
narrowly missing the cut-off. - 20th – Zhou Guanyu
Zhou’s consistent trend of being the last qualifier continued for the
seventh race, and he exited Q1 with no significant improvement,
underscoring Alfa Romeo’s current challenges in the midfield.
Q2 Highlights and Key Incidents
Track Conditions and Tire Strategy
As Q2 progressed, the track began cooling, with temperatures
dropping to 38.2 degrees Celsius. This affected tire performance, with teams
opting exclusively for the soft C5 compound to maximize grip and lap times.
11 Minutes Remaining: Verstappen Sets the Benchmark
On fresh softs, Max Verstappen clocked a 1m 16.629s, setting a solid lead early on. Carlos Sainz followed in second, although on used tires, coming in half a second behind Verstappen. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc suffered a slide, resulting in a deleted lap time that left him with no recorded time and a position down in P15.
9 Minutes Remaining: All Soft Tires in Play
With all teams now on soft tires, the session intensified as Gasly made an impressive third place on used tires, pushing for a Q3 spot. McLaren’s Lando Norris, on fresh rubber, followed Verstappen closely and claimed the top time, ahead of the two Mercedes drivers, Russell and Hamilton.
7 Minutes Remaining: Norris Takes the Lead
Lando Norris, on new tires, capitalized on the cooling track to place himself at the top of the leaderboard by three-tenths. George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, both on used tires, slotted into third and fourth, respectively, strengthening Mercedes’ position in Q2.
6 Minutes Remaining: Trouble Looms for Leclerc and Others
Without a lap time due to the earlier deletion, Leclerc found himself at risk in P15, alongside Magnussen, Stroll, Hulkenberg, and Bottas. With Piastri and Perez already eliminated in Q1, there were unexpected openings in the top 10 for the midfield runners, raising the stakes.
3 Minutes Remaining: Perez Faces Familiar Challenges
Red Bull’s Sergio Perez continued to struggle with the car’s handling, citing braking instability similar to what he faced in Austin. Reflecting on his session, Perez shared his frustration, saying, “I just couldn’t get on top of it, I couldn’t stop the car soon enough, too much energy through the tyres and braking. It was very similar to the rest of the weekend…so I cannot attack the corners under braking.” He acknowledged that maximizing points on race day would be a “tremendous effort.”
2 Minutes Remaining: Leclerc Rises as Ferrari Secure Positions
Ferrari banked their laps just in time, with Leclerc crossing the line to go third. Sainz followed suit with a slightly faster lap, inching ahead of his teammate. However, the session took a turn as Yuki Tsunoda’s crash triggered red flags.
1 Minute Remaining: Red Flag and a Traffic Jam
A dramatic close to Q2 unfolded as Tsunoda’s crash disrupted the final laps, leaving only 10 seconds on the clock when the red flag came out. This incident caused a massive traffic jam in the stadium section, with drivers unable to complete their last attempts. Hamilton, just ahead of the chaos, narrowly avoided missing his lap, while others, including Alonso, had no opportunity to improve.
Incident Analysis: Tsunoda’s Crash and Red Flags
Replays showed Tsunoda losing control due to a lock-up, leading to a slide in the run-off area. When he attempted to turn on the dirty surface, he lost the rear, ending his session and inadvertently hampering his teammate. Thankfully, Tsunoda emerged from the car unharmed, but the timing of his crash left many drivers without a chance to complete their laps.
Final Elimination Standings for Q2
- 11th – Yuki Tsunoda
After the lock-up that caused his crash, Tsunoda’s elimination was inevitable. His incident also dashed any chance for teammate Lawson to advance. - 12th – Liam Lawson
Lawson, Tsunoda’s teammate, had shown competitive pace but was left unable to capitalize due to the red flag. - 13th – Fernando Alonso
Alonso, set to celebrate his 400th Grand Prix, was left disappointed as the session cut short his Q3 bid. - 14th – Lance Stroll
Stroll, whose struggles persisted in Q2, also found himself out before Q3. - 15th – Valtteri Bottas
Despite his solid form earlier in the weekend, Bottas couldn’t make the cut under the “Kick Sauber” branding.
Conclusion for Q2
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The red flag disrupted the end of Q2, dramatically altering the landscape and leaving big names like Alonso and the Red Bull duo eliminated. Albon, Gasly, and the Haas drivers advanced to Q3, benefiting from the unexpected exits. This chaotic end to Q2 set the stage for an intense final shootout in Q3.
Q3 Highlights and Key Incidents
The Final Showdown in Mexico City
As Q3 began, all eyes were on the top contenders, with Haas drivers leading the charge onto the track. Kevin Magnussen set the initial time at 1m 17.581s, quickly bested by Nico Hulkenberg, who went half a second quicker.
11 Minutes Remaining: Verstappen and Norris on Fresh Rubber
Max Verstappen and Lando Norris hit the track with fresh soft tires, aiming to challenge for the front row. Verstappen posted an impressive 1m 16.368s, setting the bar for his rivals. However, Norris struggled with a scrappy lap and found himself nearly six-tenths behind Verstappen.
7 Minutes Remaining: Sainz Takes Provisional Pole Amid Drama
Carlos Sainz put together a strong lap, gaining a bit of extra speed from a tow by his teammate Leclerc and surged to provisional pole with a 1m 16.055s. Leclerc initially slotted into third behind Verstappen, but moments later, Verstappen’s time was deleted for exceeding track limits at Turn 3, shaking up the standings as the tension continued to build.
5 Minutes Remaining: Mercedes Step Up
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton made their moves, with Russell claiming third and Hamilton taking fourth. The front row remained a Ferrari lockout, with Sainz and Leclerc on top. The midfield was packed with Norris, Gasly, Albon, and both Haas drivers still battling for positions.
3 Minutes Remaining: Drivers Gear Up for Final Runs
With only minutes left, each driver returned to the pits for fresh tires and adjustments. Haas drivers went out first, while Leclerc, Sainz, Verstappen, and Norris waited for a clear track. Leclerc led the final runs, followed closely by Sainz, Verstappen, and Norris, each hoping for a last-minute leap up the grid.
Final Minute: Sainz Seals Pole, Verstappen Recovers
In the final push, Leclerc went purple in the first sector, but Sainz responded with a purple middle sector, securing pole position with a fantastic final lap. Verstappen fought back, managing to take second place. Norris, meanwhile, finished just behind Verstappen in third, missing out on a front-row start by a slim margin.
Top 10 Classification for Q3:
1st – Carlos Sainz
2nd – Max Verstappen
3rd – Lando Norris
4th – Charles Leclerc
5th – George Russell
6th – Lewis Hamilton
7th – Kevin Magnussen
8th – Pierre Gasly
9th – Alexandar Albon
10th – Nico Hulkneburg
Carlos Sainz delivered on his promise for a strong qualifying, clinching pole for Ferrari and adding to an intense qualifying session. Verstappen’s late charge secured him second place, and Norris’s competitive time placed him in a solid third. Mercedes stayed in the mix with both drivers in the top six, while Albon and the Haas cars rounded out the top ten in this thrilling Q3 session.
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