Carlos Sainz with "Ferrari" won his first pole position of the season in Formula 1 and will start first in the Mexican Grand Prix, BTA reports. The Spanish driver was consistent throughout qualifying and recorded a best time of 1:15.946 minutes. Sainz won the Australian Grand Prix earlier this year, but his last pole position was at the Singapore Grand Prix in September 2023.
He will be joined on the front row by three-time world champion Max Verstappen with "Red Bull", who is 0.225 seconds behind. Title contender Lando Norris with "McLaren" came third.
"I did two great laps in the third part of qualifying and they were enough for pole position, which is great because it's usually difficult in Mexico. We've definitely made a step forward and it looks like we're going in the right direction. We look forward to getting the job done," Sainz said.
Defending champion Verstappen will be looking to win and end a nine-race winless streak.
He still leads the standings by 57 points ahead of Norris, who will try to take a first win for "McLaren" in Mexico after that of Ayrton Senna in 1989.
Charles Leclerc with "Ferrari" finished fourth in qualifying for the place. "McLaren" tops the constructors' standings, and "Ferrari" 48 points behind in third place. Home fan favorite Sergio Perez crashed out in the first part of qualifying and will start his home race from 18th. Fernando Alonso of "Aston Martin" will start his Grand Prix number 400 from 13th position. Alonso missed Thursday's mandatory press conference because he was not feeling well. The Mexican Grand Prix starts at 22:00 tonight.