Nerves in Mexico City
In 2016, the Mexican Grand Prix became a vibrant festival in the stands, drawing one of the most devoted and lively fan bases of the season. The track’s high altitude and heat put engines under pressure, forcing teams to balance performance with reliability. With so many variables at play, the event naturally rewarded bold driving and strategic risk. Max Verstappen was repeatedly identified as the favorite across many betting pools, consistently topping early practice sessions and flirting with pole position from the outset. Yet Sergio Pérez, a national idol, captured pole for Ferrari and joined the front row alongside Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. It was an unexpected bolt from the blue that reshaped expectations for the weekend.
FERRARI CURATED A MOZART OF A FESTIVAL IN MEXICO!
Leclerc remained on pole and Sainz stood second. A wild session that left pundits buzzing. What a classification! #MexicoDAZNF1
— DAZN Spain (@DAZN_ES) 28 October 2023
Norris knocked out early
The qualifying session confirmed Verstappen’s pole with him starting eleventh, but it also sharpened the contest among Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren. Albon and Williams delivered impressive showings in practice. Verstappen began the first Q1 run ahead, yet track conditions improved rapidly, making those early times likely to fall. A crash involving Norris forced him out early, disrupting his bid for a fifth straight podium. Ocon, Magnussen, Stroll and Sargeant also faced eliminations. Alonso survived Q2 with a dramatic comeback that prevented him from improving his previous lap.
The second round of qualifying opened under intense pressure as several drivers, including Alonso, Russell and Verstappen, blocked rivals from exiting the pit lane. The Foro Sol stands roared with every Checo Perez lap, only to fall silent when Max unleashed a late surge, dropping his best time to 1.17.625, almost half a second behind his teammate’s benchmark.
Aston Martin shakes things up
Fernando Alonso crashed in the second quarter, while Sainz widened the gap in the standings. A dramatic moment to consider as the season nears its end.
Verstappen completed a controlled run in the second quarter and moved back into the mix, while Hamilton capitalized to trim four tenths of a second from his best to 1.17.575. Sainz battled to clear the hurdles for the tenth time and crashed alongside Alonso, Tsunoda, Albon, Gasly and Hülkenberg.
The Halloween atmosphere settled in as Aston Martin faced a testing late-season patch. The Silverstone team had seen some luck slip away since Friday in Austin, and the aerodynamic updates introduced at the Hermanos Rodríguez circuit a week earlier did not deliver the expected gains.
Alonso arrived in Mexico with a clear mission: to fine-tune the upgrades on his car—specifically the floor, sidepods and diffuser—during the three free sessions available. The sprint-format weekend offered only one practice session here. Despite a highly secretive Friday, Fernando did not reach Q3 on Saturday. In Austin, his winning streak had been snapped after 17 races, leaving him with two eliminations on this occasion.
Verstappen under pressure
Leclerc and Sainz delivered two of the fastest laps in the opening lap of the pole-position shootout, with Verstappen just a tenth behind. Ricciardo then unleashed a spirited lap from the AlphaTauri pit to take fourth place, while Mercedes prepared for the final attempt.
That pressure pushed the three-time champion to take a risk on his final run. The result did not improve matters. Leclerc sat fourth with a time of 1.17.166, followed closely by Sainz, just 0.067 seconds behind. Verstappen remained in front, poised to seek a strong start the following day that could chase the historic tally of 17 wins in a single season. “It was a strange session and I did the best lap of the weekend in Q3, when it mattered and I didn’t expect it at all,” admitted Sainz, seemingly stunned by the pace on display. You could feel the tension in the garage, the fans chanting and the engines roaring—Mexico City was alive with anticipation for the race ahead.