Max to start Mexican GP from fifth: 'Sometimes you have a bit of bad luck'

Published on 31 October 2026 by Misha van der Kroon

Max Verstappen qualified fourth for the Mexico City Grand Prix but will start fifth due to a one-place grid penalty. Kimi Antonelli benefits from the penalty and moves up to fourth on the grid, putting him in a position to clinch the title on Sunday. Lewis Hamilton put his Ferrari on pole position, with teammate Charles Leclerc in P3. George Russell (Mercedes) secured an impressive second place on the starting grid.

After qualifying at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Max explains: “In the stadium section, I had two cars ahead of me, which meant I lost downforce through Turn 12. The car then stepped out more. After that, the McLaren was driving on the right-hand side of the track, where you want to position yourself for the hairpin. I lost my reference point on the right-hand side. That’s a shame, because pole position was within reach.”

Max continues: “Fortunately, the car is better now in qualifying, after we struggled throughout the weekend. We made quite a few changes to the car before qualifying, and it felt much better. In free practice, the car was very difficult to drive and we didn’t have a good balance. In qualifying, it was okay. We’ve made progress. Things came together well on the final lap, but sometimes you have a bit of bad luck.”

Fernando Alonso is the first driver to encounter trouble, having to stop his Aston Martin after just a few minutes due to a technical issue. The red flag is brought out to allow the car to be safely recovered. Hamilton is fastest in the first part of qualifying, while Verstappen, who completes just one run, finishes tenth. The first drivers to be eliminated are Alex Albon (Williams), Alonso, Ryo Hirakawa, who is replacing Haas driver Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) and both Cadillacs, driven by Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas.

In the second part of qualifying, Lando Norris tops the timesheets ahead of Max and Leclerc. When the clock reaches zero, it is clear that Nico Hülkenberg (Audi), Franco Colapinto (Alpine), Oscar Piastri, who is nine tenths of a second slower than his McLaren teammate, Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi), Oliver Bearman (Haas) and Carlos Sainz (Williams) have been eliminated.

After the remaining ten drivers complete their first flying laps in Q3, Leclerc tops the timesheets with a 1:16.647, just 45 thousandths of a second ahead of Max, followed by Norris. On his second run, Hamilton surprisingly sets the fastest time of the session with a 1:16.514, securing his 105th pole position. George Russell surprisingly puts his Mercedes second, just nine thousandths of a second behind. Leclerc’s Ferrari will start the race from third. Max looks set to challenge for the fastest time but locks up in the third sector, leaving him fourth in qualifying. However, due to his one-place grid penalty, he will start fifth.

Antonelli is the one to benefit, moving up from fifth to fourth on the grid. This puts the Italian in a strong position to be crowned world champion in Mexico City on Sunday, as just two points are enough for him to secure the title early.

Results qualifying Mexico: