The Mexico City Grand Prix is proving to be one of the most unpredictable weekends of the 2023 Formula 1 season, with Max Verstappen, shockingly enough, losing out on the pole position to Charles Leclerc. Furthermore, Carlos Sainz managed to worsen the Dutchman’s day with a strong lap, locking out an all-Ferrari front row for Sunday’s main race.
One might wonder why a Ferrari pole position in Mexico was a surprise to many, considering the team has already achieved six Grand Prix starts from the front of the pack. Well, Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez was never going to be Ferrari’s favorite circuit, thanks to the extremely high altitudes and the significant loss in air pressure.
CHARLES TAKES POLE IN MEXICO!!
He takes his 22nd career pole ahead of Sainz and Verstappen!#MexicoGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/XH4F4EykJU
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 28, 2023
And rightfully so, both Leclerc and Sainz were greeted by countless issues with their cars during the first practice session on Friday. Hence, the odds of seeing a Ferrari on the front only diminished with time. But, then arrived the shocker from the pair in the dying seconds of Q3. Not even Verstappen was able to match their lap times, as the Dutchman had to settle for a rather disappointing P3.
However, the question is, is Verstappen really disappointed with his performance? Or was that all a ploy to get the best starting position on the grid for Sunday’s main race?
Max Verstappen unaffected by the poor qualifying result in Mexico
While the Hermanos Rodriguez circuit features a massive main straight exclusively meant for making moves, it is still considered one of the hardest tracks to overtake due to the tricky sectors 2 and 3. Therefore, the drag race to the first corner on lap 1 could play a huge role in the ultimate result, and Verstappen will find himself flaunting a bigger advantage than the ones on the front row.
Close Qualifying today. But still, all to play for đź‘Š
There’s a long race ahead, so we’ll give it our all @redbullracing đź’Ş#MexicoGP pic.twitter.com/RXYuL1Lf7T
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) October 29, 2023
All the Dutchman needs is a strong getaway at lights out and a tow from either of the Ferrari drivers, and he is likely to jump into P1 before the end of the first corner. Amidst such a positive result in the bag, Verstappen opened up about his expectations on Sunday.
When asked about his confidence heading into the main race, he said, “Good. I also have two hard tyres, so nobody else has them really around me so that’s also maybe an advantage for tomorrow.” Overall, an enthralling race start is certainly on the cards, but who is ultimately going to clinch the advantageous lead at turn 1? Only time will tell.