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Formula 1 Mexico City GP

F1 Mexico GP Live Commentary and Updates – FP3 & Qualifying

Saturday's action from the 19th round of the 2023 Formula 1 season

Max Verstappen and Red Bull may have both world championship crowns tied up already, but there remains plenty to play for in Mexico.

After seeing his points advantage over Lewis Hamilton grow to 39 points through the Mercedes driver's disqualification in the United States, Sergio Perez will be keen to put on a show for his home fans and solidify his second position in the standings.

FP3 starts at 6:30pm BST with qualifying at 10:00pm BST.

By: Haydn Cobb, James Newbold, Sam Hall

Stopped
Summary
  • Leclerc leads Ferrari 1-2 in qualifying for F1's Mexico City Grand Prix by 0.067s over team-mate Sainz
  • Red Bull's Verstappen had been fastest in every session prior to qualifying, but he misses out by 0.097s in third as impressive Ricciardo beats Perez to fourth
  • Hamilton fastest in Q2 but can only manage sixth, while Norris is a shock elimination in Q1 and qualifies 19th
  • Gasly, Hulkenberg, Alonso, Albon and Tsunoda out in Q2; Zhou takes Albon's Q3 place after the Williams driver lost his best time for a track limits infringement
  • Ocon, Magnussen, Stroll, Norris and Sargeant out in Q1
  • Verstappen and Russell will be investigated for impeding at the pit exit in Q1, while Hamilton failed to slow for yellow flags after Alonso's spin
Leaderboard
  1. Leclerc, Ferrari
  2. Sainz, Ferrari
  3. Verstappen, Red Bull
  4. Ricciardo, AlphaTauri
  5. Perez, Red Bull
  6. Hamilton, Mercedes
  7. Piastri, McLaren
  8. Russell, Mercedes
  9. Bottas, Alfa Romeo
  10. Zhou, Alfa Romeo
And with that, it's time to call and end to our live coverage for another evening. Thanks as ever for your company and we hope to see you again tomorrow. To catch up on all the action, click below! Goodbye and goodnight! 

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/f1-mexico-gp-leclerc-heads-sainz-in-ferrari-1-2-norris-out-in-q1/10539554/
Ordinarily, I'd suggest that the Monaco GP has the best qualifying session of the year. But on this occasion, Mexico has blown it out of the water.
As Verstappen is interviewed, cries of, "Checo, Checo, Checo," ring from the grandstands.
After all that, it's difficult to catch our breath!
Asked if he knew Ferrari had this pace, Leclerc says categorically, "No."
Unlike their rivals, there are no investigations hanging over either Ferrari driver.
But, and we can't stress this enough, remember that there are a lot of drivers under investigation for various things, including Verstappen, Hamilton and Russell.
Leclerc will start on pole from Sainz, Verstappen and Ricciardo! Perez if fifth with Hamilton, Piastri, Russell, Bottas and Zhou rounding out the top 10.
Checkered flag
The chequered flag falls and Ferrari have locked out the front row.
Verstappen is only third! No one is improving. Leclerc will start the Mexico GP from pole!
Perez goes to P5.
No improvement for Leclerc, but Verstappen is on a flier!
Piastri improves to P5 and the Ferrari drivers are slower through the first sector this time.
After what we saw in the first runs, all bets are off.
But here come the other nine runners for one last push.
P9 provisionally for Zhou, as he goes faster than team-mate Bottas.
Zhou is running in the gap between those doing the usual two-run plan.
But mitigating this for Perez, he was on used tyres, compared to the fresh options of the majority ahead of him.
Russell and Hamilton are P5 and 6, pushing Perez all the way down to P7.
Stopwatch
Out of nowhere, the Ferrari drivers have suddenly delivered some extreme pace, with Leclerc top on a 1m17.166s and Sainz second! Game on in Mexico City!
Stopwatch
But Verstappen smashes Perez out of the park with a 1m17.286s, and Ricciardo has gone second, just 0.1s back on Verstappen!
Stopwatch
A 1m17.788s is Perez's opening gambit.
Perez will be the first driver to register a time.
Nine drivers are on the track at present, with only Zhou remaining in the garage.
Lights green
Q3 is under way and here we go for one final time today!
There is one word to describe qualifying for the Mexico GP so far, and that is 'messy'.
But wait! Albon has seen his final lap deleted for track limits! He drops to P14 and Zhou is back in. 

After being a genuine front-row contender throughout practice, this is a huge blow to Williams.
Stopwatch
Hamilton improves to go fastest with a last-gasp 1m17.571s. But remember, Verstappen did not take to the track for a last dash.
Zhou, Gasly, Hulkenberg, Alonso and Tsunoda are the five drivers out in Q2.
Albon improves to P9 and pushes Zhou out of the session.
Zhou remains P10 with his final effort but Hulkenberg and Alonso are also out.