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MEXICO CITY — The championship battles just got a bit more interesting as Formula One prepares for its second race of the tripleheader.
McLaren still leads the constructors’ championship heading into the Mexico City Grand Prix, but Ferrari is eight points off of second-place Red Bull. Then there’s the battle between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris for the drivers’ world championship, the Dutchman leading by 57 points.
But it’s a Ferrari driver who will start on pole Sunday.
Carlos Sainz qualified first after two blistering Q3 laps, with Verstappen coming second and just 0.225 seconds off the Spaniard’s fastest time. Norris qualified third, and Charles Leclerc was fourth. The run to Turn 1 is one of the longest stretches on the calendar and was the site of a collision that ended Sergio Pérez’s day last year. The home hero didn’t fare much better this season. Leclerc’s final Q1 lap meant Pérez qualified P18, his fifth Q1 knockout of the season and worst start at home of his career.
Further back on the grid, the constructors’ fight between RB and Haas rages on. Both Haas drivers will start in the top 10, while RB faces a repair job after Yuki Tsunoda’s Q2 wreck (which put an end to his teammate Liam Lawson’s final lap where he was improving). With five races to go, millions of dollars in prize money are at stake up and down the standings.
Before it’s time for ‘lights out and away we go’ at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, we dive into a few storylines that have captured our attention ahead of the fifth-to-last race of the season.
Sainz rides high on confidence heading into race day
Sainz managed to accomplish an impressive feat on Saturday, aside from securing pole position. Both of his Q3 laps were nearly perfect. The Ferrari driver “added a bit of front wing” in the final qualifying session, which increases drag, and felt he would “go even quicker.”
Sainz later elaborated, “The first lap of Q3, I didn’t take many risks with the Turn 2 curb, trying to stay away from track limits; while in the second lap, I knew the first (lap) might be enough for pole, and I just tried to maximize the track limits, and it gave me for free a tenth which I kept for the rest of the lap.”
He took a rather interesting line at the end of his laps, hugging the pit wall instead of following the normal racing line. Sainz essentially took a page out of Norris’ book.
“He likes doing short distance to the line and I said, ‘Well, I lose nothing by maybe if it’s faster, cutting a bit the distance, maybe it gives me a thousandth or two-thousandth of a second, but I’m going to make sure I don’t leave them out there.’ Yeah. I remember from our McLaren days he used to do it a lot, and I was a bit puzzled.”
Heading into Sunday, Sainz says he feels “relatively confident.” The most difficult moment will be heading into Turn 1 and whether he keeps the lead, mainly because it is easier for those behind him to catch a slipstream and he’s stuck defending. His start will need to be solid to keep ahead of Verstappen and Norris behind, although both have their title fight to consider.
“I have two guys behind fighting for quite important things tomorrow and the run down to Turn 1 should be interesting,” Sainz said. “I have obviously less to lose in that sense and I will try and make sure I keep P1.”
Though he has won a grand prix this season in Australia, Saturday marked Sainz’s first pole position of 2024. But it’s a “bittersweet” moment, Sainz said. He’s only got five races left with the Maranello-based crew before he’s headed to Williams in 2025.
He could sign off on a high note.
“(It’s) very sweet, given how good the car is, how well I’m driving recently, it is very optimistic going into the last five races. At the same time, bittersweet because it gives me the feeling that Ferrari might be in the fight for the world championship next year, and I won’t be there to use it,” Sainz said. “I feel like I have been quite a big part of this team during the four years trying to prepare the team to fight for that championship next year, you know? The fact that I’m driving well, being fast with the car, and I’m leaving in five races, leaves me a bit … I don’t know how to say it, but not with a very good feeling.
“But it is what it is. I’m going to try and win more races, stand on the podium for as long as I can for these five races, enjoy that, and then we will think about next year.”
Ferrari senses opportunity after Piastri, Pérez exits
Ferrari’s dominant 1-2 in Austin cemented its emergence as a ‘sleeper team’ in the constructors’ championship race. Amid all the focus on McLaren’s rise and Red Bull’s slump, it has crept into the fight.
Mexico now presents an ample opportunity for Ferrari to go from a sleeper team to a serious threat after both McLaren and Red Bull suffered surprise setbacks. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri lamented his tires overheating as he was knocked out in Q1, finishing 17th, while Pérez will start his home grand prix from 18th after struggling with braking. Big points are on offer from P1 and P4 on the grid (Leclerc admitted he took more risks after lacking pace in Q3).
Ferrari could make inroads Sunday on the 48-point gap to McLaren at the top of the championship. Norris doubted McLaren would be able to beat Ferrari in the race based on what he’d seen so far this weekend. “Honestly, since FP1, Ferrari have been the guys to beat, and Carlos is on top today,” Norris said after qualifying. “(It will be) challenging to beat them tomorrow.”
Sainz’s pole is further proof that Ferrari’s upgrade package at Monza, which remedied the issues that caused its slump through the European leg of the season, has offered a huge step forward. No longer is this car only good in either qualifying or race pace; it’s a strong all-rounder.
Asked on F1 TV if the result showed the upgrades had worked, team principal Fred Vasseur said with a laugh: “It looks like it, no? It was OK on the street circuit, in Singapore, Baku, and even in Monza. And it was good news in Austin. It’s confirmation today.”
Keeping the lead will be a big challenge for Sainz, given the long run to Turn 1 and the benefit of the slipstream for the cars behind. But with Leclerc helping him and a difficult race awaiting both Piastri and Pérez, this could be the race where Ferrari really vaults into the title fight.
“We are in a good place at the moment as a team,” Leclerc said. “I think both Carlos and I are performing very well as well. Luckily for us, it’s not always the case for our competitors, which helps us to close the gap a little bit more for a few races.”
Norris will have to chase Verstappen early in Sunday’s race. (Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)
Verstappen and Norris brace for another close fight
While Ferrari has been in good shape in Mexico, the same cannot be said of the two title protagonists, Verstappen and Norris, who had to be content with P2 and P3 on the grid.
Engine issues hampered Verstappen in FP1 and eventually sidelined him in FP2, limiting him to just four laps. It forced a change of power unit from within Verstappen’s engine parts pool and robbed him of track time to build up confidence when Red Bull is still working to understand its Austin upgrade package. The unknowns, particularly over race pace, left him uncertain of fighting for the win on Sunday.
“I don’t expect miracles,” Verstappen admitted. “I think (in) Austin, Ferrari was really, really fast. Of course maybe that weekend McLaren was not as strong, but in the race, I think they were still competitive. I guess we’ll find out tomorrow.”
Norris didn’t take part in FP1 at all, as he gave his car up to Pato O’Ward for a young driver run, and the mandatory FP2 tire test made much of the session less useful than usual. Although he topped both Q1 and Q2, he quickly reached the limit of what his McLaren could do. “I just couldn’t progress from there,” Norris said. “The car was too difficult to drive in Q3.” It left him “relatively happy-ish” with third on the grid.
It sets up a compelling fight between Verstappen and Norris for the run to the first braking point, the longest of the season. History shows that the slipstream effect, particularly at such high altitudes, can be very powerful for that stretch, making the battle to brake last all the more challenging.
Norris needs to strike back against Verstappen in the title race after his “momentum killer” penalty in Austin. While the new driving guidelines for on-track battles were discussed in Friday’s drivers’ briefing, they will only be introduced in Qatar, meaning the same rules – and gray areas – are in place for this weekend.
One week on from their Austin scrap, there’ll be every chance for ‘round two’ between Verstappen and Norris in Mexico, which could serve as another pivotal moment in their title battle.
Pérez’s homecoming is about damage limitation
Dejection was written across Sergio Pérez’s face as he walked down the pit lane after suffering his fifth Q1 exit of the season. He badly needed a big result on home soil where the hopes of most of the 130,000-plus crowd rest on his shoulders. To drop out in 18th place was a huge disappointment.
Pérez explained after qualifying he’s been struggling under braking for the past three races and that while Red Bull can see the issue in the data, it’s not an easy fix. “It’s mainly on a straight line,” he said. “I cannot stop the car.” With such thin air in Mexico only causing more sliding, it’s easier to overheat the tires, resulting in a vicious cycle. He said the problem was also apparent over the long runs, leaving him uncertain of a fightback in the race.
“I will try everything,” Pérez said. “I will try and see what we are able to do with the team, and see what solutions we are able to find.”
On Friday, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner stressed that Pérez was under contract for 2025. However, given the concerns over his form earlier in the year and the fact that a failure to score points on Sunday will likely cause Red Bull to slip to third in the constructors’ standings, a bad Mexico weekend will only increase the scrutiny.
“It’s obviously very disappointing,” Pérez said. “If there is a grand prix I want to do really well, it’s this one. Unfortunately it’s been really difficult and tricky, this event.”
Tsunoda suffered lockups all afternoon. His crash handed a big win to Haas. (Sipa USA)
Haas versus RB heats up
While many people (understandably) are focused on the battle for both championships at the front of the grid, there is a midfield fight worth watching: Haas versus RB for sixth place.
Considering that points finishes are rare with how competitive the top four teams are and the season is nearly done, moments like Saturday when both Haas drivers qualified in the top 10 are tentative major wins. Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hülkenberg will line up seventh and tenth, respectively, while the RB duo of Tsunoda and Lawson aren’t far behind in 11th and 12th.
Tsunoda crashed near the end of Q2, ending the session early and preventing Lawson, whose lap time was improving at that moment, from possibly advancing. RB showed competitive pace throughout practice, with both drivers in the top 10 for all three sessions and as high as P3 (Tsunoda in FP1 and FP2).
Haas has secured points finishes across the last four grands prix weekends, amounting to a combined 11-point haul that’s left it with a two-point lead over RB. But each session is arguably its own battle, and Haas won again on Saturday.
“We ticked that box, right? It’s a long day tomorrow, nothing’s given,” Magnussen said after qualifying. “It’s a long stretch down to Turn 1 after the start here. A lot of things can happen. (We’ve) got to keep it together and hopefully get some points.”
When asked who has the fastest car right now on Friday, Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu said, “I think it really depends on the event. You know, they’ve got upgrades here as well. (In) FP1, they looked quick. We’re not very happy with the car. So I think it really depends on every event. And also, like, even track temperature, that can swing things as well.
“It’s very difficult to say who’s got the upper hand for the remaining five races. I think we’ve got to maximize everything you’ve got every day, every race.”
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Top photos of Lando Norris, Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images
