In a qualifying session expected to be dominated by the two Red Bulls, it was Mercedes and Valtteri Bottas who snatched the pole position and also a front-row lockout for the Mexican Grand Prix. While the Finnish driver will be starting from the front of the grid after he posted a blazing lap time of 1 minute 15.875 seconds.

Meanwhile, defending world champion Lewis Hamilton will be completing the front row after he picked up P2 in the third qualifying session. The Briton was two-tenths faster than championship leader Max Verstappen, who finished P3 in the Qualis.

Locked in an intense battle for the Formula One championship, Verstappen leads Hamilton by 12 points heading into the final five races. While the 24-year-old Dutchman is trying to win his first title, Hamilton, 36, is chasing a record-breaking eighth.  

Meanwhile, national hero Sergio Perez will complete the second row after his final lap ended in chaos. Perez was on his final lap when a derailed Yuki Tsunoda confused the Mexican mid-lap and he glided off the track into the dirt. 

Also read: F1 has different rules for different people: Alonso after Sochi run-off incident

The incident might have also hampered Verstappen’s final lap push. However, throughout the third qualifying session, the Honda-powered team seemed to struggle with their rear wings. For the final lap, they even had to tape down the wings, which could’ve possibly hampered their pace. 

Going into Sunday’s race, the rear wing situation will concern the Red Bull’s massively. Meanwhile, the soft tyres also haven’t helped the Red Bulls either. Verstappen struggled with grip on those tyres in both qualifying and the third practise session.

Also read: Formula 1 to debut in Qatar as it finalises 22-round 2021 calendar

Behind Perez, the Alpha Tauri of Pierre Gasly and the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz will form the third row while Daniel Ricciardo, Charles Leclerc, Yuki Tsunoda and Lando Norris will form the rest of the Top 10. 

On this track, Red Bull is a clear favourite. In 2017 and 2018, Verstappen triumphed in Mexico City. In 2019, he was dominating in practice and qualifying, but a starting row penalty and a tyre puncture on the second lap wrecked his race, and Hamilton triumphed.