Max Verstappen shakes off Red Bull’s £6m fine to take pole position at the Mexican Grand Prix with Mercedes pair George Russell and Lewis Hamilton to start in second and third… but home favourite Sergio Perez has to settle for fourth
- Max Verstappen clinched his sixth pole position of the season in Mexico City
- The Dutchman topped qualifying to finish ahead of both Mercedes drivers
- George Russell’s final lap mistake cost him pole as finished second in qualifying
- While Lewis Hamilton was forced to settle for third place on the grid for Sunday
Max Verstappen took pole position for the Mexican Grand Prix – setting himself up for a record-breaking 14th win of the season on Sunday.
Mercedes had looked strong all day but you can never discount the Red Bull juggernaut and so it proved in the thin air of Mexico City.
Not that Verstappen was not brilliantly quick, bursting the 1min 18sec barrier – the only man to do so. He ended up on 1min 17.775sec, 0.304sec ahead of second-quickest George Russell, who made a mistake on his final flying lap, and 0.0309sec ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who was third fastest.
Max Verstappen has taken pole position ahead of the Mexico Grand Prix on Sunday evening
Hamilton (left) starts third, Russell (right) starts second, while Verstappen (centre) takes pole
The two-time world champion stormed to a sixth pole of the season in Mexico City
So it is Red Bull-Mercedes-Mercedes on the grid at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, with its long run into the first corner. Interesting.
Hamilton did well to recover third spot on the grid after having his first Q3 time deleted for exceeding track limits. He had just set the third best lap before it was scrubbed. He came back out and held his nerve but could not pip Russell or in any way match Verstappen.
Lewis Hamilton suffered power issues on his flying lap in the final qualifying session in Mexico
Sergio Perez was fourth best for Red Bull, but three-and-a-half-tenths off Verstappen’s pace.
Mercedes had thought their best chance might be in Austin for the US Grand Prix and they brought a host of upgrades to that race.
Hamilton led there when Verstappen was trapped in his pit box as the wheel gun misfired, but he was easily passed by the Dutchman and finished runner-up.
Hamilton lead for the majority of qualifying as Mercedes looked fast throughout the weekend
Mercedes have come to Mexico City armed with a new front wing and that seems to be working well. They are helped by the thin air, 7,740ft above sea level, reducing the car’s drag.
Lando Norris qualified eighth for McLaren.
Sportsmail’s Ryan Walker provided live blog updates for qualifying at the Mexican Grand Prix.
