Mexico City Grand Prix: Max Verstappen on pole with George Russell second

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Red Bull's Max Verstappen took rod for the Mexican Grand Prix, fending disconnected a situation from Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton.

Mercedes had 1 of their astir competitory qualifying performances this twelvemonth but Verstappen was excessively quick, taking rod by 0.304 seconds.

Russell held connected to 2nd spot contempt a mistake connected his last lap.

Hamilton recovered from having his archetypal thigh deleted to instrumentality third, conscionable 0.05secs slower than his team-mate.

Ferrari, the rod presumption kings of 2022 truthful far, were obscurity - Carlos Sainz was successful 5th place, down the 2nd Red Bull of Sergio Perez, and 0.576secs from pole.

Team-mate Charles Leclerc, who has much poles than anyone truthful acold this year, was edged retired by the upgraded Alfa Romeo of Valtteri Bottas and could negociate lone seventh place.

McLaren's Lando Norris was eighth, up of the Alpines of Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon.

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Mercedes outpouring a surprise

It was nary astonishment to spot Verstappen connected pole, arsenic helium and Red Bull person taken disconnected successful the 2nd fractional of the play and look beauteous overmuch unbeatable, with some drivers' and constructors' championships already tied up.

But Mercedes looked similar they whitethorn person a accidental to instrumentality for themselves what would person been lone their 2nd rod of the twelvemonth aft Russell's successful Hungary, and the archetypal successful the dry.

Russell was 0.132secs disconnected Verstappen connected the archetypal runs successful last qualifying and felt helium had a changeable astatine beating the Red Bull - adjacent if the Mercedes squad did not hold - but helium made a mistake connected his last lap.

"The squad deserved much today," Russell said. "They person produced a truly large car this weekend. I consciousness similar it was our rod to person and it was conscionable a unspeakable thigh from my side. Nevertheless, excited to beryllium backmost connected the beforehand row.

"We brought an update to Austin and it didn't truly springiness america a accidental to amusement its value. But present the resistance is little of a origin successful the precocious altitude and that's wherefore we person moved forwards.

Hamilton said: "This is the champion qualifying we've had each year. It conscionable shows perseverance and ne'er giving up is the mode forwards."

The seven-time champion present has his sights acceptable connected a archetypal triumph of the twelvemonth - and benefiting from the slipstream connected the agelong tally to the archetypal country and warring for the lead.

"I'm beauteous blessed with that presumption to start, actually," Hamilton said. "It's a agelong tally down to Turn One."

What happened to Ferrari?

Ferrari failed to get either of their cars into the apical 3 for the archetypal clip this season.

The car has looked wayward each weekend. Leclerc crashed successful the Esses connected Friday and Sainz had a fig of moments determination done Saturday.

The reddish cars simply lacked pace, and were ne'er successful the combat for pole, raising further questions astir wherever their velocity has gone.

Bottas, successful fact, came wrong 0.05secs of being the fastest Ferrari-engined car connected the grid successful the Alfa Romeo, which has a caller level this play to adhd to a caller beforehand helping introduced successful Japan 2 races agone and further bodywork changes taken to the US Grand Prix past weekend.

The Finn was adjacent to the crisp extremity each qualifying and produced his champion grid presumption since helium was sixth astatine the opening contention successful Bahrain.

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