Charles Leclerc led a surprising Ferrari one-two in the Mexico City Grand Prix qualifying, surpassing his teammate Carlos Sainz by a slim 0.067 seconds. Max Verstappen of Red Bull secured the third spot, trailing Leclerc by 0.097 seconds.
Daniel Ricciardo further shook up the grid, clinching an unexpected fourth place for Alpha Tauri. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and George Russell landed in sixth and eighth positions, respectively.
Home favourite Sergio Perez managed fifth place for Red Bull, trailing Verstappen by 0.160 seconds. Notably, Lando Norris of McLaren faced a setback, finishing in a surprising 19th place due to a challenging initial session.
Amid the series of incidents during qualifying, Verstappen, Russell, and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso were cleared of impending charges at the pit lane exit. However, Williams’ Logan Sargeant received a 10-place grid penalty and two penalty points for passing Yuki Tsunoda under yellow flags.
Meanwhile, Sargeant’s teammate Alex Albon faced a penalty due to exceeding track limits in the session. Ferrari, initially struggling in practice sessions, showcased unexpected strength in the qualifying rounds. Leclerc’s impressive performance in the final session secured his fourth Grand Prix pole of the season and second consecutively.
Leclerc, expressing surprise at the pole position, emphasized the team’s need for improved race performances despite strong qualifying showings.
He highlighted the challenge posed by the extended run to the first corner in Mexico, acknowledging the potential vulnerability of cars on the front row to being overtaken due to slipstream advantages.
Leclerc stated, “We did not expect to be on pole… I am not even thinking about the pole. I am already thinking about the race. We have had enough poles and we need to do better in the races.”
He further noted the unique challenge posed by the race’s starting position and the need to perform better during the race despite securing the pole position.
By BBC Sports
