Max Verstappen takes pole for Red Bull at the Mexico City GP; Lewis Hamilton had topped the timesheet for Mercedes in Q1 and Q2, but could only finish third behind team-mate George Russell; watch the race live on Sky Sports F1 at 8pm on Sunday, with build-up from 6:30pm
Last Updated: 29/10/22 10:26pm
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen will start on the front of the grid ahead of the Mercedes pair of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton at the Mexico City Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen overcame a strong challenge from Mercedes to beat George Russell to pole position for Red Bull at the Mexico City Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton topped the timesheet in Q1 and Q2 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez to continue the strong form Mercedes had shown throughout the weekend, but it was the 2022 world champion who was able to find extra performance when it mattered most.
Verstappen’s 1:17.775 put him 0.3s clear of Russell, with Hamilton just a fraction behind his team-mate in third, while the other Red Bull of Sergio Perez finished fourth at his home circuit.
A disappointing session for Ferrari saw Carlos Sainz finish fifth, with Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas spectacularly beating Charles Leclerc to sixth.
It’s just a sixth pole of the season for Verstappen, who is seeking a record 14th victory of the campaign after sealing his second successive drivers’ championship two rounds ago in Japan.
Max Verstappen, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton took the top three spots in qualifying for the Mexico City Grand Prix.
With Verstappen’s and his team’s best performances during their brilliant season having usually been saved for Sunday, Mercedes face a major challenge to deny the Dutchman in Sunday’s race.
However, Mercedes have undoubtedly enjoyed their best Friday and Saturday of the season, and having two cars behind the Red Bull will give them hope of sealing a first victory of the year.
More to follow…
Mexico City GP Qualifying Results
1) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
2) George Russell, Mercedes
3) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
4) Sergio Perez, Red Bull
5) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
6) Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo
7) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
8) Lando Norris, McLaren
9) Fernando Alonso, Alpine
10) Esteban Ocon, Alpine
Mexico City GP Qualifying Timesheet
| Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1) Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:17.775 |
| 2) George Russell | Mercedes | +0.304 |
| 3) Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | +0.309 |
| 4) Sergio Perez | Red Bull | +0.353 |
| 5) Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | +0.576 |
| 6) Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | +0.626 |
| 7) Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.780 |
| 8) Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.946 |
| 9) Fernando Alonso | Alpine | +1.164 |
| 10) Esteban Ocon | Alpine | +1.235 |
| Out in Q2 | ||
| 11) Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren | 1:19.325 |
| 12) Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | 1:19.476 |
| 13) Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 1:19.589 |
| 14) Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri | 1:19.672 |
| 15) Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 1:19.833 |
| Out in Q1 | ||
| 16) Mick Schumacher | Haas | 1:20.419 |
| 17) Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin | 1:20.419 |
| 18) Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:20.520 |
| 19) Alex Albon | Williams | 1:20.859 |
| 20) Nicholas Latifi | Williams | 1:21.167 |
