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By James Broughton, October 29, 2022
Max Verstappen had to slug it out to secure his 19th pole position of the season as a rejuvenated Mercedes ran the Red Bull team close at the 2022 Mexican Grand Prix. In the end, Verstappen did what he’s done all season and extracted more out of his Red Bull than it was prepared to give him. Teammate Sergio secured 4th, over 3-tenths behind. Mercedes start Sunday’s race P2 and P3 with George Russell ahead of his teammate Lewis Hamilton by the narrowest of margins.
Ferrari was off-form as Carlos Sainz qualified 4th, teammate Charles Leclerc could only manage 7th. Valtteri Bottas was the surprise Ferrari-powered Alfa Romeo sandwich separating the two works Ferraris. The Alpines line up 9th and 10th with Fernando Alonso narrowly ahead of Esteban Ocon.
Mercedes have found form at the Mexican Grand Prix, perhaps due to the low altitude which is less burdensome on the Mercedes aero disadvantage. Verstappen had to work hard to secure pole position. Mercedes usually has better race pace, so it appears that Verstappen will face a concerted effort by Mercedes to win.
2022 Mexican Grand Qualifying Results:
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:17.775
2 George Russell Mercedes + 0.304
3 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes + 0.309
4 Sergio Perez Red Bull +0.353
5 Carlos Sainz Ferrari +0.576
6 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo +0.626
7 Charles Leclerc Ferrari +0.780
8 Lando Norris McLaren +0.946
9 Fernando Alonso Alpine +1.164
10 Esteban Ocon Alpine +1.235
11 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren +0.773 (Q2)
12 Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo +0.924
13 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri +1.037
14 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri +1.120
15 Kevin Magnussen Haas +1.281
16 Mick Schumacher Haas + 1.250 (Q1)
17 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin + 1.250
18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin + 1.351
19 Alex Albon Williams +1.690
20 Nicholas Latifi Williams +1.998
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