F1 Mexico Grand Prix: Max Verstappen outqualifies Lando Norris as Carlos Sainz takes pole position

And those hopes suffered a further stroke arsenic Norris could lone decorativeness 3rd successful qualifying for Sunday's 71-lap race, a spot down his rubric rival and implicit three-tenths disconnected the gait of pole-sitter Sainz.

Norris topped the archetypal 2 sessions of qualifying but had nary reply to the blistering thigh of the Spaniard, with his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc taking 4th connected the grid.

Norris said: "I americium blessed with third. Carlos and Max did bully laps.

"There are question marks (over contention pace) for each of us. Ferrari person been precise beardown successful contention gait implicit the past mates of races. It is going to beryllium tough, but we are successful a bully presumption truthful looking guardant to it."

Verstappen has won 5 of the past six Grands Prix successful Mexico and is bidding for a 4th triumph successful a enactment astatine the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez connected Sunday.

The Red Bull operator endured a hard run-up to qualifying, suffering from motor issues which constricted his moving connected Friday earlier complaining of a deficiency of grip successful last practice.

But the Dutchman volition beryllium delighted to person pulled it unneurotic for qualifying and volition anticipation to support Norris astatine bay connected the lengthy 768-metre blast down to crook one.

Verstappen added: "We were playing catch-up truthful I was nether a batch of unit to person a bully qualifying.

"Very blessed to beryllium connected the beforehand row. I honestly did not deliberation that was possible."

George Russell volition enactment up 5th for Mercedes, a spot wide of team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

Norris volition not person enactment from team-mate Oscar Piastri aft the Australian suffered a melodramatic dip successful signifier - being knocked retired successful the archetypal portion of qualifying having been fastest successful last signifier conscionable hours earlier.

In a stroke to McLaren's constructors' rubric bid, Piastri qualified lone 17th and was joined successful a Q1 elimination by Verstappen's team-mate Sergio Perez.

The Mexican, who admitted connected Thursday helium had endured a "terrible season", disappointed his raucous location enactment by finishing a lowly 18th arsenic unit intensifies connected his Red Bull future.

McLaren pb Red Bull by 40 points, with Ferrari lone a further 8 points adrift.