Sainz: I wasn’t able to get into the right rhythm

The Spaniard was hit with an engine issue on his SF21 during qualifying, and dealing with traffic on his final flying lap didn't help him get the optimum result he was looking for.

"This was one of the most eventful and stressful qualifying sessions of my career," Sainz revealed in the team's press release on Saturday.

"After the engine starting procedure issue, the red flag and the traffic, in the end, the result wasn’t too bad, but I’ve been fast all weekend and wanted more.

"With so many things going on I wasn’t able to get into the right rhythm and didn’t get a clean lap until the last attempt in Q3," the Ferrari driver explained.

"The lap was not even a perfect one, but given how the session unfolded I cannot be too disappointed, although I would have preferred to have the same feeling with the car as in free practice."

Looking ahead to Sunday, Sainz said: "The race will be challenging as with thin air you have to manage tyres and temperatures, but it will be the same for everybody.

"The start will be very important," he revealed, especially that he has to start on the dirty side of the rack while dealing with Daniel Ricciardo who qualified only 0.002s behind.

"The dirty side is especially tricky here in Mexico but we’ll try our best to maximize our starting position.

"We’ll go for it and try to score good points!", the 27-year-old vowed.

Charles Leclerc, Sainz's teammate, was even more dejected after his eighth-place finish in qualifying at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, and rued an error on his final flying lap.

"I’m quite disappointed," he revealed in his team's post-qualifying media brief.

"It has been a difficult weekend all along, but good progress from the practice sessions to qualifying," Leclerc explained.

"I put everything together today," he insisted. "I was strong in Q1, Q2 and the first run of Q3.

"Unfortunately I made a mistake on the second run in Q3 and finished the session without improving my lap. I know that I had the potential to do better, but such is life."

However, the 24-year-old is counting on good race package at his disposal to make amends on Sunday.

"Tomorrow is what counts and I will give it everything," he said. "Our race pace is looking good, but it will be very difficult to overtake here.

"Reliability will play an important role, because of the unique conditions at this track, but this will be the same for everyone," Leclerc concluded.

The Ferrari pair will find some solace in that, they have to deal with only one McLaren during the race, which is that of Ricciardo, as Lando Norris will be starting the race down from 18th on the grid after receiving a power unit-related penalty.

This should play into their hands, as they seek to drag their team ahead of McLaren in the Formula 1 Constructors' Championship into third.