It will be an all-Ferrari front row that will open the starting grid of the Mexican Grand Prix tomorrow, with the Ferrari capable of conquering both first and second position, putting behind it the person truly credited for the pole position, Max Verstappen. In front of everyone there will in fact be the SF-23 number 16, that of Charles Leclerc, capable of climbing to the top of the time charts with a time of 1:17.166, obtained in the first attempt of Q3.
After that of Austin, this is therefore the second consecutive pole position for the Monegasque, who beat his teammate by just 67 thousandths. During the interviews, both Ferraristi underlined a certain surprise at the final result, underlining how after free practice they believed there was still something missing to aim for the top of the standings. However, in the decisive moment, both the Monegasque and the Spaniard put all the pieces of the puzzle together, hitting a first that thrilled the wall.
Third was Max Verstappen, who in Q3 lacked that extra bit to beat the two Reds, given the gap of less than a tenth from pole. The Dutchman then explained how he struggled in the final corners of the lap, suffering from the tires overheating. However, it is important to point out that the Red Bull driver is currently under investigation for an impediment during the first heat.
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB19
The nice surprise is Daniel Ricciardo’s fourth place on a track where AlphaTauri knew it could do well. Already on the eve, in fact, the Australian had underlined that he wanted to aim for the top ten and points, but the fourth place finish is undoubtedly the icing on the cake of a Saturday worth remembering. Sergio Perez will start behind him, fifth about two and a half tenths from pole, while Lewis Hamilton and Oscar Piastri will occupy the sixth row. As with Verstappen, however, the Englishman from Stella is also under investigation, even if in his case the accusation is that of not having respected the yellow flags in Q1.
Concluding the top ten were George Russell and the two Alfa Romeos: the Biscione team performed well on a track more suited to the characteristics of the C43. With a smoother asphalt the engineers were able to lower the car and gain aerodynamic load, while the high temperatures of the asphalt helped to compensate for those warm-up problems that the car generally suffers from in qualifying.
Eleventh and first of the excluded Pierre Gasly, with Alpine who, without a shadow of a doubt, did not meet the expectations it had created internally after Friday. Compared to his teammate, the former AlphaTauri driver actually felt that he wasn’t completely right in terms of set-up, but the good performances shown in the first free practices still allowed him to end the day with a smile. Nico Hulkenberg was just three thousandths behind and brought the updated Haas to the sixth row, managing to make the usual difference in qualifying.
Fernando Alonso further behind, thirteenth, with a rather disappointing Aston Martin after the first signs already seen yesterday. Despite the last positions at the end of free practice, the Silverstone team was quick to say that what they saw on Friday was not the real value of the AMR23, underlining that they had to work above all on a race level and that the potential of the car on the flying lap would be seen only on Saturdays. However, with the Spaniard thirteenth and Stroll eighteenth, it hasn’t been the easiest weekend for the British team so far.
![Daniel Ricciardo is the surprise of the day thanks to fourth place](https://cdn-8.motorsport.com/images/mgl/6xEVnQ70/s1000/daniel-ricciardo-alphatauri-at-1.jpg)
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Daniel Ricciardo is the surprise of the day thanks to fourth place
It’s a qualification with a bitter aftertaste for Alex Albon who, after performing well on Friday and in the last free practice session, was aiming to secure a Q3 with which to compete for points on Sunday. In fact, the Anglo-Thai had managed to record a time valid for passing the second heat, at least before this was canceled due to exceeding the track limits in turn two. Behind him was Yuki Tsunoda, who contested Q2 mainly to provide the slipstream for his teammate, given that tomorrow the Japanese will be forced to start from the back of the grid due to the replacement of the Power Unit.
The big disappointment of qualifying is undoubtedly Lando Norris, who was eliminated at the end of Q1. The Briton, who initially went out on the medium to save a set of softs, was then called back to the pits even before completing the lap with the yellow band compound, thus limiting his chances of going through to the last run. However, in the first run on the soft the Briton was unable to record a good time, thus putting himself at serious risk. In fact, Alonso’s spin after touching the inside curb in turn three led to the yellow flags coming out, effectively making it impossible to improve and record a valid time to overcome the heat. Also in Mexico it will therefore be a comeback race for the Briton, who will have to move up the rankings from the back rows of the grid.
Esteban Ocon, Kevin Magnussen, Lance Stroll and Logan Sargeant were also excluded in Q1. After a Friday defined as one of the best of the season, the Mexican Saturday is one to forget for the Alpine standard bearer, only sixteenth on the starting grid, after also having encountered traffic in the second sector during his last fast lap. Sargeant closes the ranking, with the American driver, who also ended up under investigation for not slowing down sufficiently under yellow flags when Alonso spun.
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