Verstappen 'didn't expect' to be on front row in Mexico

In theory, see Max Verstappen on the front row is not exactly a surprise… but in Mexico, it is! The Dutchman set the second fastest time in Q3 behind an impressive Carlos Sainz, but in front of a Lando Norris who seemed much stronger on the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. A surprise because the driver Red Bull had never been in the running at the start of the weekend in the three Free Practice sessions. Behind compared to the McLaren and Classic Ferrari for sale, the triple world champion managed to set an excellent time in the money-time, his signature mark in qualifying.

However, the Dutchman was under pressure in his final attempt in Q3, as his opening time was disallowed for exceeding track limits. “Of course my lap time was deleted, which added a bit more pressure, but I’m very happy to be on the front row. Honestly, I didn’t expect it to be possible!”, rejoiced Max Verstappen at the end of qualifying, at the microphone of the Formula 1.

Verstappen was "under pressure" since Friday

Absent from the Free Practice debates, Max Verstappen spent the start of the weekend trying to catch up, having been forced to stay in the garage for a long time during FP2 due to an engine problem. However, the championship leader managed to build his qualifying session little by little by finding pace lap after lap.

“Naturally, [on Friday] I did almost no laps. So we had to catch up. FP3 was not very good. So I was already, I think, under pressure to do a good qualifying, Red Bull driver emphasizes. I think it's probably one of the most difficult circuits to set [a good time]. Street circuits are difficult, and this one is too. Because there's so little downforce, it's very easy to have a lock-up or a slide and the tyres overheat straight away. So it's one of the trickiest [tracks] on the calendar."

The Dutchman will therefore start alongside Carlos Sainz in this Mexican GP and will have to resist Lando Norris at the start. The Briton will have nearly 800 meters to nestle in his rival's slipstream and attempt an attack from the first corner. For Max Verstappen, who holds the record for victories in Mexico with five successes, the challenge will be enormous... but he could take a big step towards the title if he manages to finish ahead of the McLaren driver.

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