Lando Norris has secured a strong starting position for the Grand Prix of Mexico, scheduled for Sunday evening (20:00 UTC). The British McLaren driver dominated the qualifying round in Mexico City on Saturday evening, just as he had done earlier in the day during the final practice session.
Surprisingly, Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton clocked the second and third fastest times respectively. Max Verstappen had to settle for the fifth fastest time, while World Championship leader Oscar Piastri was left with a disappointing eighth place.
Here is a quick overview of the qualifying round for the GP of Mexico.
Q1: Hadjar Impresses with Fastest Time
The qualifying round for the GP of Mexico kicked off with a pleasant temperature of 26 degrees Celsius and an asphalt temperature of 48 degrees. McLaren driver Lando Norris made a convincing start, clocking a time of 1:17.147, which was more than seven-tenths faster than his teammate and World Championship leader Oscar Piastri. Max Verstappen recorded the third fastest time (0.159 behind Norris) in his first quick run, despite a significant ‘oversteer moment’ along the way.
In the second part of Q1, Isack Hadjar sensationally pushed his Racing Bulls car to the forefront with a time of 1:16.733, beating Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, and Norris. Notably, Haas drivers Esteban Ocon (fifth) and Oliver Bearman (eighth) also performed well. Verstappen ended up with the ninth fastest time (1:17.076).
Q1 Dropouts: Bortoleto, Albon, Gasly, Stroll, and Colapinto.
Q2: Piastri Barely Makes the Cut
Isack Hadjar is the first to take on the rapidly evolving track at the start of Q2, the second part of the qualifying for the Mexican GP. His time (1:16.137) is disappointing, as one after another significantly undercuts it. Max Verstappen is one of them, of course, clocking in at 1:16.824. Norris, Charles Leclerc, and Carlos Sainz, in turn, outpace the Dutch Red Bull driver. Piastri, on the other hand, is having a difficult session and is more than a second behind his teammate Norris. The Australian must fear an early elimination.
On his second fast run, Verstappen achieves a fourth time of 1:16.605, more than three-tenths slower than the fastest time (1:16.252) set by Lando Norris. Piastri barely qualifies for Q3 with the seventh time, half a second behind Norris. Piastri complains about engine problems.
Q2 Dropouts: Tsunoda, Ocon, Hülkenberg, Alonso, and Lawson.
Q3: Leclerc Surprises Everyone
Max Verstappen is the first to hit the track and again it’s clear that he’s struggling with oversteer. He clocks a 1:16.455, which puts him in fourth place after the first runs of the entire field. And surprisingly, it’s not Norris who’s the fastest, but Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc. He’s the first to go under 1:16 minutes: 1:15.991. Could the Ferraris be taking the pole in Mexico for the third year in a row? Lewis Hamilton (third time) also suddenly makes his presence felt.
In the final phase of Q3, Verstappen manages to improve his time to 1:16.070, good for fifth place. Lando Norris takes the pole. And what a performance! No one can match his 1:15.586.
Top-10: Norris, Leclerc, Hamilton, Russell, Verstappen, Antonelli, Sainz, Piastri, Hadjar, Bearman.
