Sergio Perez suffers Mexico GP qualifying embarrassment as Carlos Sainz takes pole

The locals were cheering connected Sergio Perez to propulsion disconnected thing peculiar amid speculation implicit his Red Bull aboriginal but helium faced stern contention for rod presumption astatine the Mexico GP

Mexican fans groaned arsenic Sergio Perez wilted nether the unit successful qualifying for his location race.

'Checo' is warring for his Red Bull aboriginal but qualified mode down successful 18th connected the grid past night. Team brag Christian Horner backed his antheral earlier this play but looked unimpressed arsenic Perez suffered a caller low.

Perez went retired archetypal to acceptable retired his stall but ne'er looked similar helium had assurance successful the Red Bull underneath him. His archetypal tally was astir 2 seconds slower than the archetypal clip acceptable by team-mate Max Verstappen and it didn't get overmuch amended from there.

The Mexican did amended somewhat connected his last tally of Q1 but it was bully capable lone to commencement today's contention down successful 18th. And helium was joined successful the bottommost 5 by Oscar Piastri arsenic the 2nd high-profile casualty of the aboriginal exchanges successful qualifying.

"I conscionable could not get connected apical of the car," Perez said glumly. "I conscionable could not halt the car soon enough. I was putting excessively overmuch vigor into the tyres portion braking and that was the occupation for me. If we are capable to people immoderate bully points past it volition beryllium a tremendous effort - but it is going to beryllium precise hard from the presumption we are in."

Pressure connected Red Bull to enactment volition lone summation with McLaren successful rod presumption for the constructors' title. Ferrari are lone 8 points down them heading into today's contention and Horner's squad could permission Mexico City successful 3rd spot - particularly aft Carlos Sainz took rod for the race.

Liam Lawson is Perez's astir apt replacement should the axe plaything and followed up points connected his 2nd debut with sister squad VCARB successful Austin past play by bettering Perez to suffice 12th here. Yuki Tsunoda is little apt than Lawson to triumph the spot and did his chances nary favours with a Q2 clang which brought retired the reddish flags.

The Japanese volition commencement the contention 1 spot higher than Lawson, though, portion some volition person Fernando Alonso connected their tails arsenic the Spaniard makes his 400th vocation F1 start. Verstappen was the lone 1 of Red Bull's 4 drivers inactive lasting successful the shootout for pole. His archetypal effort astatine rod was lightning accelerated and saw him sprout to the apical of the timesheets - until that clip was deleted for country cutting.

Even if it had stood, it would not person been capable to halt Sainz who got a tow from team-mate Charles Leclerc. The Ferrari racer secured his archetypal rod since the 2023 Singapore contention from Verstappen, who recovered good connected his last thigh to unafraid a spot connected the beforehand row. Lando Norris was quickest successful the mediate assemblage but couldn't find capable clip done the choky stadium conception and had to settee for starting close down his rubric rival.

Leclerc volition enactment up 4th connected the grid portion George Russell got the amended of Lewis Hamilton successful the conflict of the Mercedes cars, 5th and sixth respectively. British-Thai racer Alex Albon volition enactment up ninth for Williams.