What the teams said – Qualifying at the 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix ...

10 hours ago

Sainz has plenty of rallying pedigree, and as such often goes well in low grip conditions. While many struggled to get to grips with the tricky track, Sainz excelled and both his flying runs in Q3 would have been good enough to grab pole. It’s his first P1 start of the year, and the last time he started on pole back in Singapore in 2023, he won the race. Leclerc wasn’t nearly as happy with his car, but fourth isn’t a bad starting slot and he sounded much more confident of his race pace.

READ MORE: Sainz hails ‘almost perfect’ performance for Mexico pole as he vows to ‘finish the job’ with race win

Charles Leclerc, 4th, 1:16.265

"I didn’t have the feeling I wanted in the car, neither in FP3 nor in qualifying, and P4 was the best I could do today.

"With my driving style, I struggle a bit more on low grip tracks such as this one, but I’m confident that with the race pace I had yesterday, I can push in tomorrow’s race. I will need a really good start to challenge for the win, and starting from P4 will not make that easy, but I will give it my all."

Carlos Sainz, 1st, 1:15.946

"I’m super happy today! I couldn’t imagine a better qualifying here in Mexico. We have done a great job balancing the car and I enjoyed very much the last two laps of Q3, pushing in every corner and keeping it as clean as possible. I feel we have improved our tyre understanding and preparation and this helps to consistently drive to the limit.

"We are the only team with both cars on the front two rows of the grid so the main priority for the race will be to score the maximum haul of points for the Constructors’ Championship. Even though it’s not easy at this track, I will do everything to defend pole at the start and we will give all we’ve got to bring home another win!"

Fred Vasseur, Team Principal

"The whole team is in a dynamic mood, feeling plenty of energy after Austin and here we were much more focussed on tomorrow as we did not expect to get pole, so this is a nice and unexpected surprise. Carlos did a very good job with his two laps being good enough for pole and even though Charles was not very happy with his lap, he is just a couple of thousandths behind Lando (Norris).He also has done a good job, especially considering he didn’t try the Softs before this morning’s FP3.

"It's very important that we are in the fight tomorrow with both cars: it’s a very long run down to Turn 1 after the start and it’s not a given that you keep your grid position, so here in Mexico anything can happen and having both cars fighting at the front offers us more opportunities. It will be a very long race and the most important thing will be to have good pace on the long stint, run a good strategy and execute the race perfectly."

Verstappen’s Friday struggles carried into Saturday at first, the Dutchman not happy with his car in final practice. But he managed to wrestle it all the way to Q3 in qualifying, and once there put in a great lap to grab second on the grid. That was despite losing his first time in Q3 to track limits, which raised the pressure gauge for the Dutchman with his championship rival Norris right in the mix. But while he finished Saturday satisfied, his team mate was experiencing very contrasting emotions. Perez wasn’t happy with his car, couldn’t find the limits under braking and exited in Q1 for the first time in Mexico with a bit of a whimper, much to his disappointment.

READ MORE: ‘We were just struggling too much’ – Perez identifies ‘main issue’ as he reflects on dispiriting home Q1 exit

Max Verstappen, 2nd, 1:16.171

“Today was a good recovery here in Mexico. Starting the day we knew that it was going to be difficult with no data from Friday, so FP3 was really important for us to make sure we had some references heading in to the weekend. We knew it was going to be a difficult session, we missed crucial running time yesterday, and the track was still very green when I first went out today. I just tried to do the best I can and we made some final changes in the right direction. The changes that we made, the car was more driveable, and I was able to push more. To be on the front row for tomorrow is better than expected and a great result for us. Tomorrow is a bit of an unknown, but we will give it our all in front of the fans."

Sergio Perez, 18th, 1:17.611

“It is a disappointing way to end my qualifying, we definitely had more pace but I am struggling a lot, it is similar issues to Singapore and Austin. Into the low speed I cannot brake or stop the car and as soon as I attack the braking I start sliding and locking up. So that is my main issue and where I am struggling the most, here it showed even more. There are four races to go and we have to get on top of the issues as a Team. I am having to modulate the braking too much and just don’t have confidence in the car. Here is the worst place to not perform, I am super disappointed. The Grand Prix where I wanted to do the best possible job, it is just not coming together. I hope tomorrow we can enter the points. I need to try and maximise the day, it is going to be very hard but I owe these fans, they are the best in the world, this is the best race in the world."

Christian Horner, Team Principal

"Max did a fantastic job today considering he lost most of yesterday. He was on the back foot coming into today so to qualify on the front row is a brilliant performance. Hats off to Carlos though, hes been very fast all weekend and put down two laps that were good enough for pole, he will be tough to beat tomorrow. Checo has been struggling with the car under breaking and on corner entry. There is a big difference in the time between the two cars and it is of course very disappointing for him infront of his home crowd but I am sure he will give it everything he can tomorrow."

Piastri topped FP3 from his team mate, with McLaren looking the favourites for pole. But the Aussie had a disastrous Q1 session, coming out on mediums and then leaving it very late to swap to softs. He lost that lap time to track limits, and then on aging tyres couldn’t extract enough from a second flying run to progress in a shock result. Norris did make it all the way to Q3, but as the track cooled he couldn’t step things up to compete with Ferrari, and was also pipped by his championship rival Verstappen. But P3 here is a very good starting slot – three of the last four race winners started third on the grid.

READ MORE: Norris insists he's 'pretty happy' with third on Mexico City GP grid as he looks to close gap on Verstappen

Lando Norris, 3rd, 1:16.260

"I’m pretty happy with third. I feel like I got to the limit of the car quite quickly, but I struggled to get a lot more out of it in the final two laps. It’s tough to know what to expect tomorrow. None of us have done proper long runs on the tyres that we're going to be on, so there's question marks for everyone. It’s going to be tough but we're in a good position and I’m looking forward to it."

Oscar Piastri, 17th, 1:17.597

"A painful and disappointing afternoon. My first lap on the Soft was looking good and would have been enough to progress to Q2 until I lost a lot of time going over the curb and had the lap deleted as a result. I then didn't have enough grip on the second push lap to be able to put it all together.

"We're in a similar starting position to Lando at this event last year, and he still had a good race, so we'll look to push forward and make up as many places as we can. The car is in a good spot so we'll be aiming for the points tomorrow."

Andrea Stella, Team Principal

"We had a competitive car heading into the Qualifying session, but conditions were tricky. It was difficult to put together clean laps.

"With Lando, P3 is a pretty good grid position. Up until Q3, his performance was very strong, finishing P1 in both Q1 and Q2. His first attempt in Q3 wasn’t quite there and it was important that he put together a strong lap to get onto the first two rows with a decent second attempt. It’s a long way to Turn One and sometimes at this circuit, pole position isn’t the place to be.

"On Oscar’s side, we got a lap deletion, which meant there was quite a bit of pressure on the second run. With compromised grip levels we didn’t put together a fast enough lap to progress in what has proved recently to be very competitive Qualifying sessions. This weekend, Oscar is also still running the previous specification of floor and front wing. While that alone doesn’t explain today’s result, it is important to note.

"Oscar starts P17 and, being optimistic, that’s where Lando started last year before finishing P5. The pace is strong, he can make up places. The mission tomorrow is clear: to move forward with both cars."

Russell didn’t look discombobulated by yesterday’s crash, starting final practice strongly and looking comfortable to push. But Mercedes just didn’t have the raw pace to challenge the top three teams come qualifying. Both cars made Q3 with ease but had to settle for locking out the third row. Russell wound up three tenths ahead of his team mate, but Hamilton had a big slide on his last flying run that accounted for that time difference.

Lewis Hamilton, 6th, 1:16.651

"The car felt good in FP3, but I didn’t have that same feeling in Qualifying. We made a few small set-up adjustments after that final practice session as we tried to find a little more speed. Unfortunately, they didn’t bring that extra lap time, and we had to settle for P6.

"It’s going to be difficult to challenge the guys ahead tomorrow. They’ve looked quick, particularly the Ferraris and the McLaren of Norris. Whilst we may not be able to fight them on pure pace, we will be looking to take advantage of any chances that come our way. It is also a long run down to the first corner so making positions off the start could be the key to our race."

George Russell, 5th, 1:16.356

"Firstly, a big thank you to everyone in the garage for working so hard to get the car ready for today. There was extensive damage, and we had to change the chassis overnight. I am therefore happy with our recovery from yesterday. We are still running the previous specification package which we’ve had for the last 12 races, so to be less than two tenths off the front-row is a solid effort.

"My final lap felt good, and I was happy with it as I crossed the line. P5 was likely the most we could have hoped for today given the speed of those in front. I don’t think we quite have the race pace of the four cars ahead but let’s see tomorrow. I also expect that they will be scrapping quite hard so maybe the race will come towards us."

Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport

"P5 and P6 was a fair result today. We didn’t have the pace of the front three teams so the third row was likely the best we could have managed. We still needed to execute well though; Qualifying was not straightforward with both Red Bull and McLaren losing a car in Q1. Ultimately, we were within two tenths of the front row with George, who is running the previous specification this weekend. Whilst that is a little frustrating, it can give us encouragement heading into tomorrow’s race that we may be able to pick up the pieces if those ahead don’t execute well.

"It was a tougher session for Lewis. He only made small set-up changes after FP3, but he didn’t feel as comfortable with the car as he had done earlier in the day. It was a solid job to take P6 and he will be looking forward tomorrow.

"Finally, it is important to recognise the great work of the team in the garage. They have not had an easy time of it in the past couple of races. After George’s accident yesterday, they worked through much of the night to get the car ready and did a superb job. To consistently operate at that level, particularly during an intense triple-header, is testament to the team spirit and professionalism that keep driving us forward."

Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

"The team worked hard through the night to repair George’s car following yesterday’s accident in FP2. It was a heavy shunt and there was extensive damage, including to the chassis. That forced us into a switch of chassis, but we were able to complete the work and have both cars on track for FP3. That is a major credit to the team in the garage, who have had dealt with the challenges that have come our way both here and in Austin effectively and efficiently.

"Heading into Qualifying, we knew we would have a tall task to get ourselves into the fight for the top-three. The Ferraris have looked quick all weekend and McLaren popped up in FP3 with some competitive times. It is therefore frustrating that we fell just a couple of tenths shy of getting on the front-row. We know that P5 and P6 is likely a fair result though given our pace so far this weekend. With the speed of those ahead, we know it won’t be easy to make progress from the third row. Nevertheless, will be looking to take every opportunity that comes our way tomorrow to do so."

Haas managed to get both cars all the way to Q3 at the expense of their RB rivals, their Austin upgrade package continuing to do the business. They only had one set of new softs for Q3, but on their last runs Hulkenberg made a mistake and ran wide, beaching himself on the kerbs. That cost him plenty of time and he wound up 10th, but Magnussen put together a much tidier lap for a very impressive ‘best of the rest’ P7 on the grid.

Nico Hulkenberg, 10th, 1:17.365

“It’s been a bit of a struggle for me to be honest, all weekend long. I’m not getting off on the right foot with the car and the laps aren’t coming as I’d like, and how they should. I’m struggling to find rhythm and harmony; some laps are good, some laps are not good, and in Q3 unfortunately I couldn’t find it. Kevin did a great job in P7, so two cars in the top 10 is good and we’ve got good top speed at a track where overtaking is difficult, so it’s all to play for tomorrow.”

Kevin Magnussen, 7th, 1:16.886

“Two cars again in the top 10, and I think I’m ahead of the people we want to be ahead of, so that’s a good day for us. This track is very dirty on the inside of the line, so it’s another little bonus to be starting on the lefthand side. It should be a good starting point for a top 10 finish. We obviously want to finish as high up as we can but we’re really in the fight with RB and to some extent Williams and Alpine as well, so we need to finish ahead of them and in the points tomorrow.”

Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal

“That was one intense qualifying session. I’m happy we got both cars into Q3 and Kevin’s lap on the new tyre was really good. It’s a difficult track to get a lap together, and he managed that, and being ahead of both Gasly and Albon is huge. I’m really happy for Kevin that he finally got the result he deserved. Nico was doing so well as well, doing pretty much the same lap time as Kevin up until Turn 12. Still P10 ahead of RB as well is very good, and we’ll go for double points tomorrow.”

It was a mixed bag for Alpine, with Ocon unable to extract much from his car and exiting in Q1. But Gasly, who has had the upgrades longer than his team mate and thus has had more time to get used to them, made it all the way to Q3. His eighth backs up his P7 qualifying result from Austin, and gives Alpine a real chance of scoring points for the first time since Zandvoort.

Esteban Ocon, 19th, 1:17.617

“Today has been a tough day. We struggled in both Free Practice 3 and Qualifying, which is frustrating after a more positive day yesterday. There was clearly something that did not work out for us in Qualifying so we need to debrief with the team to understand what happened and what we can do better for next time. We will start on the back row tomorrow so the aim will of course be to make our way forwards. It won’t be easy, but we will do our best to have a decent race.”

Pierre Gasly, 8th, 1:16.892

“It was an amazing Qualifying session for us and I’m very happy to be in Q3 for the second race in a row. We made a lot of changes between Free Practice 3 and Qualifying, as we were last on the timesheets, struggling with the car and just generally lacking grip. The team did a great job, so credit to everyone for persevering and finding those improvements. It is clear that this car, with our recent upgrades, has potential and it seems that we are operating within a small window, which we must continue to understand. We were just 0.006secs from another position today but, still, I’m pleased with our turnaround and how we were able to put together some strong laps. We’ve put ourselves in a good position on the grid for tomorrow. Last week, we had a strong Saturday but struggled on Sunday, and hopefully we have learnt from that and can be in the fight for points.”

Oliver Oakes, Team Principal

“Today was a busy day, trying to find the right balance and getting the tyres in the right window over a single lap. We struggled in Free Practice 3 this morning and the team worked hard between sessions, delivering a competitive Qualifying. Pierre did a great job to make it into Q3 for the second race in a row and is in a good starting position for tomorrow’s race. We need to understand why Esteban was not as comfortable in his car and have him make some progress in the Grand Prix.”

Colapinto made the smallest of mistakes on his last flying run in Q1, a lock up costing him two tenths of a second. That was enough to ensure he couldn’t escape into Q2 though, although he did manage to score in Austin after a Q1 exit. As for Albon, he more than atoned for yesterday’s crash as he made it all the way to Q3, qualifying ninth. After being overshadowed by his team mate’s point in the USA, Albon will be keen to add to his own tally this weekend.

Alex Albon, 9th, 1:17.065

"Q3 was a nice surprise today but I do think we could’ve been P7. I caught some dirty air from the Mercedes’ in the final sector, which could’ve put us ahead of Kevin and Pierre but we’re still in a good position for tomorrow and I’m glad I could deliver P9 for the team and the mechanics who worked really hard to repair the car. Obviously, I haven’t had the chance to do a long run, so we won’t know until we go out there, but the car feels good and the used tyres we ran on felt okay which is a good judge ahead of tomorrow. We have a lot of our direct competitors around us tomorrow and a few cars out of position but it’s not always easy to overtake around here, so we’ll try our best to move forward."

Franco Colapinto, 16th, 1:17.558

"It was a very difficult Qualifying session today. Unfortunately, it looks like we went in the wrong direction with the set-up change we made after FP3. I was struggling to combine in the corners and suffered from over rotation. We need to try and recover tomorrow but it’ll be tricky with how the balance of the car is right now. We’ll look to understand the issues and see what we can do to fix it with the tools available. Hopefully, we can try to go forward in the race."

Sven Smeets, Sporting Director

"We knew it would be tight in Qualifying this afternoon, and unfortunately, Franco didn’t progress to Q2 as he was struggling with an over-rotating car in Q1. He will start tomorrow from P16, but his race pace yesterday was strong, so he’ll be battling to move up the field. After just five push laps in FP3, Alex put in a great last lap in Q1 and advanced smoothly into Q2. We decided to focus on our out laps in Q2, which paid off, as Alex delivered another strong lap to secure P7 and move into Q3.

"He’ll start tomorrow’s race from P9, which is a great performance considering yesterday’s circumstances. The race will be tight in the midfield, but we’re confident we have a car capable of fighting for points."

With both RB cars looking strong in final practice, there were high hopes that both could make Q3 come qualifying. And they looked likely to do so, but then Tsunoda locked up, lost the rear and spun off into the barriers at the end of his last preparation lap. That brought out the red flags and ended Q2 prematurely, preventing Lawson from improving and meaning that their great rivals, Haas, managed to out-qualify them with both cars.

MUST-SEE: Tsunoda brings out the red flags with hefty qualifying crash in Mexico

Liam Lawson, 12th, 1:17.162

"It’s a shame, the Team has given both of us a very good car this weekend that was capable of Q3, but it’s one of those things and being out at the back, it’s the risk we run. We had a really good first sector that was improving; if we had finished the lap we were on, we would have made it. We’ll have to find a way to get some clean air. It’ll be tough, but if we have the speed on the straight, we should be able to overtake. Our race pace looks quite good, so I’m confident we can move forward and that we’re in a good place to fight for points tomorrow.”

Yuki Tsunoda, 11th, 1:17.129

“I lost the car into the stadium section. I had a big front lock up, which I haven’t experienced throughout the weekend, so it was a bit strange. It’s a shame we couldn’t maximise the opportunity of the pace we’ve shown here. I’m sorry to the Team. Tonight, we will assess the damage and see what’s possible for tomorrow. We will work on our strategy to get back into the points.”

Guillaume Dezoteux, Head of Vehicle Performance

“We are all a bit disappointed with the qualifying result today, as ever since yesterday we felt we had a car to get to Q3. In Q1 both cars qualified by some margin. After the first run in Q2, we could feel that reaching the top 10 was possible. Unfortunately, on his last attempt, Yuki lost the car braking for turn 12 and crashed into the barriers. The incident triggered the red flag and Liam couldn't complete his lap. Nevertheless, Yuki is ok, and we will start the race from decent grid positions. We have the pace to get some points and that’s the target for tomorrow.”

Alonso looked very much in the mix for Q3, which was a little against the odds considering Aston martin haven’t looked particularly strong here this weekend. But he lost out on a chance to record a last flying run in Q2 thanks to red flags, so had to settle for P13 on the grid for what will be his 400th Grand prix appearance tomorrow. Stroll starts just behind his team mate, with the duo likely to be given strict instructions to stay clear of each other when those five red lights go out.

FACTS AND STATS: Sainz chasing a first Ferrari win in Mexico for over three decades – but Norris arguably has a better starting slot

Fernando Alonso, 13th, 1:17.168

"We have struggled most of the weekend for performance but in Qualifying the car felt a lot better than in Free Practice and I was much happier. We opted to use three sets of tyres in Q1 and we made it through. I was doing a good lap in Q2 just before the red flag ended the session and I think we might have made it through into Q3 had we been able to finish the lap. I don't expect any miracles tomorrow, but I am ready to fight and enjoy my 400th Grand Prix. I dreamt of becoming a Formula One driver as a child and I'm here with more than two decades in the sport so I'm extremely lucky."

Lance Stroll, 14th, 1:17.294

"I was on my final flying lap when the red flag came out, but I think Q3 would have been a challenge anyway. Getting through to Q2 was the goal here in Mexico, so we can be happy with that. Still, we are definitely not where we want to be and there's a lot of work to do to improve the car's performance."

Mike Krack, Team Principal

"Two cars through to Q2 is more than we expected after the pace we showed in practice. We might have made the top ten had the red flag [for Tsunoda's crash] not impacted the end of Q2. We were learning and adapting as the track evolved. The car has not been easy to drive, but Lance and Fernando put together clean and tidy laps across the sessions. The goal tomorrow is to try and compete for points in what will be Fernando’s 400th Grand Prix – a remarkable milestone for an exceptional sportsman."

Bottas went very well here last year, and after finishing P8, P8 and P12 in practice, there were high hops he could duplicate his Q3 heroics where he qualified ninth in 2023. But he was another to find his last lap in Q2 wrecked by red flags, and thus had to settle for 15th. That was better than his team mate managed, Zhou once again propping up the field and leaving himself with a tough task to progress in the race.

Valtteri Bottas, 15th, 1:17.817

"I have mixed feelings about how the day went. The positive is that we made it to Q2: it has been a while since we had last been here, so that's really good to see for all of us. I want to thank the whole team for all the effort to get us there, hopefully it can give a motivation boost for the final part of the season. However, I feel we could have got even more than P15: we were unlucky with the red flag in Q2 - I was on a good lap, and I was in the last sector, close to finishing, when the red flag came out. I think that lap would have put us quite close to the top 10, which is a shame. At least, we are a step ahead from the previous weekend, and we seem to have decent pace here. We'll try our best tomorrow; it could be a very interesting race."

Zhou Guanyu, 20th, 1:18.072

"Today’s session was disappointing, as we struggled with grip across the board. Even though we saw significant track evolution, we couldn't quite achieve the speed we expected as the session went on. We’ll need to dive into the data to understand what’s holding us back and see how we can address it ahead of tomorrow. Starting from the back makes for a challenging race, but we’ll be ready to seize any opportunities that come our way. With a long run into turn one, we’re aiming to make up some ground right from the start."

Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Team Representative

"After a positive Friday, we have been able to realise the potential to enter Q2 here in Mexico. Valtteri delivered a very good qualifying session, and only the red flag for Tsunoda’s crash prevented him from maybe gaining one position or more and finishing ahead of Stroll. With Valtteri in P15, of course we can have a better race strategy, and this is a sign that we can extract more from the upgraded package, also in view of the next races and next upgrade. Zhou struggled more than Valtteri to extract performance, and he finished P20: we will analyse the data to see where we can help him be closer to the direct competitors. Tomorrow's race will be a tough one for everybody, because of the altitude, and the cooling, for both engine and brakes, will be a factor. We need to be able not just to have consistent race pace, but also to manage the temperatures properly, in order to make the most of any opportunities arising during the race. For now, though, we can be satisfied with our performance in qualifying: we hadn’t entered Q2 in a few races, and so we need to see as a positive sign the fact that Valtteri was able to reach our target by his own merit."

Mario Isola, Motorsport Director

“A very closely contested qualifying which, for the second year running, saw a Ferrari come out on top here in Mexico City. This all suggests that in tomorrow’s race the cars will also be evenly matched, especially when it comes to the fight between Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren who so far, have shown they have the edge at this track.

HIGHLIGHTS: Watch the action from qualifying in Mexico as Sainz storms to pole after shock Q1 exits for Perez and Piastri

“Today, we saw the times come down throughout, which proves that the track surface is still evolving. It will be the same again in tomorrow’s race, as the cars gradually rubber-in the track more and more. In terms of strategy, this is generally a race where the one-stop is fastest, with the Hard and Medium taking centre stage. Over the past two days, we have seen that the level of graining is significantly less than in the past, which favours the one-stop even more. Theoretically, the quickest strategy involves starting on the Medium before switching to the Hard between lap 25 and 32. Those who opt to start on the C3 should pit between lap 36 and 43 to switch to the C4. The Soft cannot be ruled out entirely: it could come into play as an option either at the start or towards the end, paired with the Hard, or maybe as a set to start on for those gambling on a two-stop to make the most of having two sets of Mediums available, which is on paper the most competitive of the three compounds brought to Mexico.”