Max to start P5 in Mexico: 'No balance and no grip'

Published on 26 October 2025 by Misha van der Kroon

Max Verstappen will start the Mexican Grand Prix from fifth on the grid. At the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, the Dutchman was unable to challenge for the top spots, as Lando Norris set the fastest time in his McLaren ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in P2 and Lewis Hamilton in P3. The Mercedes of George Russell and Max completed the top five. Max’s Oracle Red Bull Racing teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, will start the race from eleventh.

“It was very difficult,” says Max after qualifying in Mexico City, speaking to Viaplay. “In my first lap I already had a big moment in turn nine. That whole sector was just impossible. There was no balance at all. I couldn’t attack, I was just sliding everywhere, understeer, oversteer, nothing felt right.”

Max continues: “We were bad everywhere, and in sector two you only need to watch my onboard to see it, it was unbelievably poor in the high-speed corners. None of the laps felt good today. No balance, no grip, and I expect tomorrow will only be worse. All the long runs I’ve done were bad, and that’s definitely not going to improve.”

At the start of Q1, the air temperature has risen to 26°C, with track temperatures reaching 50°C. The drivers have eighteen minutes to secure a place in Q2, with the five slowest being eliminated. The Aston Martins and both Alpines are the first to take to the track.

After the first runs, Norris and Leclerc lead the way in P1 and P2, with Max sitting third. At that stage, Gabriel Bortoleto, Pierre Gasly, Franco Colapinto, Nico Hülkenberg, and Tsunoda occupy the drop zone. When the chequered flag falls at the end of Q1, the top three are Isack Hadjar, Lewis Hamilton, and George Russell, with Max in P9. The drivers eliminated in Q1 are Bortoleto, Alex Albon, Gasly, Lance Stroll, and Colapinto.

As Q2 begins, Hadjar is the first to head out for the fifteen-minute session. On a track that is constantly improving, Norris leads halfway through, followed by Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, with Max right behind in fourth. Notably, Piastri trails Norris by over a second. At that moment, Oliver Bearman, Esteban Ocon, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Antonelli, and Liam Lawson find themselves in the danger zone.

By the end of Q2, Norris remains fastest, ahead of Hamilton and Russell. Eliminated this round are Lawson, Alonso, Hülkenberg, Ocon, and Tsunoda. Piastri narrowly advances in seventh, while Max finishes the session in fourth.

At the start of Q3, the key question is whether Max can take the fight to Norris’s McLaren. Max heads out first, followed by Norris, Piastri, and Bearman. After the first runs, Leclerc leads the pack, with Norris in second and Hamilton third. Max sits fourth and appears visibly unhappy with his lap.

In the final run for pole position, Bearman is the first on track and Russell the last. Norris manages to beat Leclerc’s time, while Max briefly climbs to P2 before slipping back to P5 behind Russell’s Mercedes. Ahead of Russell are both Ferraris, with Leclerc in P2 and Hamilton in P3.

Contest GP Mexico: win a by Max Verstappen signed Red Bull Racing cap!

Results qualifying Mexico: