Ferrari, pole and double in the Mexican classification; Alonso, out of Q2

Verstappen leads all: Free Practice 1, 2, and 3 at the home of his teammate ‘Checo’ Pérez. He is the big favorite to take the pole. And in the qualifying session, he imposed his dominance in Q1 and Q2. Everything was ready for the Dutchman to get out of his car moments later, raising his hands like ‘poleman’ in Mexico, celebrating another joy in your year full of success. But for the second week in a row, he was again surprised by a turn. In the race, no one can hit him (so far), but after one turn, the fight for pole position with the champion starts to become common.

This time it wasn’t the Mercedeswhich many saw as a possible rival for Max in Mexico after his step forward to the best shown in Austin. Even the McLarenswith a disappointing Norris eliminated in Q1 and a Piastri ineligible for that pole. Their opponents were the Ferraris, with the massive Leclerc taking pole and an excellent Carlos Sainz, second only 67 thousandths behind.

Qualifying times (no penalties):

Verstappen was third, and also pending a possible penalty for blocking many cars out of the pit lane during the chaotic end of Q1 due to the great improvement of the track and increased parity between all. Each session is an all out battle.

The red cars, hidden in the pelotons in Q1 and Q2, were surprised at the decisive moment. Charles Leclerc took the first position from Max in the first Q3 attempt by 0″120. And there a Sainz who seemed to be in the distance joined the party. The Spaniard made a huge jump, placing 2nd after a weekend from less to more, just 67 thousandths behind. The pole will decide again on the last bullet. In Austin, in that final test, Max exceeded the limits of the track and finished 6th on that occasion. This time I was more than warned. He tried it, but no luck. The Dutchman was outmatched because he didn’t set the tires to the right temperature.

AND If after the closing of this edition they decide not to punish him, he will start in 3rd with a desire for revenge, knowing that in terms of race speed the Ferraris should not be a problem for him. He wants to remove that ‘thorn’ in the race.

Notable is the step forward of a Carlos that this season is on another level. Not just for the pole monzahis career in Italy and his pole and victory at Singapore. Also for things like this Saturday. A year ago, at the wheel of a Ferrari where he was suffering, the Madrid native would never be in the fight for pole. This Saturday, Sainz took that extra step in Q3, at the crucial moment, when the steering wheel was burning the most, to get very close to a Leclerc who, a lap away, was one of the best on the grid.

Go for the record

In Mexico, Max is the most successful driver, with 4 wins (2017, 2018, 2021 and 2022), which this Sunday could be five. But his likely victory this Sunday is more than that. This means that the 26-year-old driver will reach 16 wins in a season in 19 races contested. Last year, Max surpassed Michael Schumacher’s record of 13 (2004) and raised the bar to 15 wins. And this Sunday he wants to up the ante to the 16th of the year, with three other events to be held.

Alonso, out of Q2

Fernando Alonso was 13th with a very nervous and difficult to drive Aston Martin. This is 3 tenths away from the cut-off time, far from a classification where it is clear that all teams have raised the bar. Equality is increasing, the transition to Q2 is very complex and there is more and more surprises, like Norris and Ocon, in Q1, or Ricciardo’s AlphaTauri, in 4th place or even Alfa Romeo, with Zhou 10th and Bottas 9th, behind Russell (th 8), Piastri (7th), Hamilton (6th) and Pérez (5th). Any team can now enter Q3 depending on the layout. Unbelievable. And with the current regulations maintained, the only doubt is knowing when there will be a close and constant battle for victories. Right now, Max isn’t that easy in just one turn.