QUALIFYING REPORT
Verstappen said: “You have to be
realistic in Q2, some other guys were on
soft tyres. I had a good feeling with the car
all weekend, I was getting better and better
but it was a shame in Q3 I couldn’t get the
lap together. We have a different strategy
for the race.”
Ricciardo summed up: “I don’t know
how close we were to pole, I guess
everyone had handling issues out there - I
think it was pretty terrible balance. It was a
handful, we didn’t expect a perfect car and
you can’t when the altitude is like this and
the grip. From that I think fourth is great. It
was a pretty confusing qualifying.”
Nico Hulkenberg continued his good
run in qualifying by ending fifth fastest, well
ahead of his local hero teammate Sergio
Perez who would start his home race from
12th.
Ferrari flattered in free practice only to
deceive in qualifying with Kimi Raikkonen
sixth fastest, ahead of Sebastian Vettel who
was seventh on the timing screens - the
Reds six tenths down on Hamilton’s pole
winning time.
Up next were the Williams pair of
Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa, in eighth
and ninth respectively, followed by the Toro
Rosso of Carlos Sainz in tenth.
At the end of Q2 the young Spaniard
snatched tenth on the timing screens, which
cost his fellow countryman Fernando Alonso
a slot in Q3. After a good showing in Austin
a week earlier, the McLaren duo struggled
to find an optimum balance with their car in
Mexico. Jenson Button was 13th quickest.