Norris: "We finish where we deserve to be", Piastri disappointed in Mexico

Author of the best time in Q1 and Q2, Lando Norris seemed to be heading towards a new pole position this Saturday in Mexico. The Briton from McLaren had to settle for third position on the starting grid, behind Carlos Sainz et Max Verstappen. No disappointment, however, for the wearer of number 4, who believes he has immediately succeeded in getting the most out of his car. He actually lowered his Q2 mark by just a tenth, while his rivals managed to find much more time during the session determining the first ten places on the starting grid.

"I'm happy. I did some really good laps in Q1 and Q2, and actually found the limit of the car pretty quickly, so I didn't have any left in the tank for Q3.", he explained to the official website of the F1. " The Ferrari found a lot of pace in the last part of qualifying. I had a little hope in Q2, thinking they were struggling a little bit with something, but clearly not. We finish where we deserve to be, maybe with a little bit better lap from me I could have gone and got Max, but not more."

The current second-placed driver in the championship is wary of the pace of Ferrari, who achieved a one-two finish a week ago at the United States Grand Prix. Having been beaten in qualifying, the Maranello cars were unbeatable on Sunday, and for Norris, the same scenario could play out in Mexico. The goal is now to beat Max Verstappen, in order to regain points in the championship, after losing several points in Austin.

"The Ferraris have been clearly ahead of us since the beginning of the weekend. They are good on low fuel, and as we saw in Austin they are extremely good on high fuel. That doesn't give me a lot of confidence to beat them, but my goal is to beat the others, and it is possible."

Overheated tires and 17th place for Piastri

On the other side of the garage, Oscar piastri ended his qualifying session prematurely, finishing seventeenth in Q1. The Australian was set to take the lead ahead of his teammate, but a wide run at the entrance to the Stadium ruined his fastest lap. With overheated tyres, the #81 was powerless to avoid elimination, and he will have to get back into the race if he wants to help his team in the three-way fight with Red Bull and Ferrari for the constructors' championship.

“I didn’t have much confidence with the mediums. My first lap on the softs was very positive, but I made a mistake at Turn 12 and went wide. We tried to restart after that but the tyres were too hot, and I had no grip. It’s disappointing. The car is very good, it’s just a shame to have to start from the back of the grid. We’ll have to see what we can do. Lando started in a similar position last year and he had a good race, there will be opportunities.”

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