Max Verstappen took pole position for the Mexican Grand Prix, holding off the Mercedes cars which have suddenly emerged as contenders this weekend.
The last four pole-sitters in Mexico have failed to finish on the podium, so starting from the front is far from a guarantee of success in the race. Not that Verstappen will care – he will be delighted to have gone fastest on Saturday on a rare weekend where he is not the main man at Red Bull.
After all, Sergio Perez is the home favourite here. But he was not able to deliver the pole position that the home fans craved, and instead will start Sunday's race from fourth place, sharing the second row with Lewis Hamilton while George Russell was second quickest on the day the Silver Arrows finally looked capable of challenging the top cars for pace.
