Carlos Sainz, ripped up the form book to secure pole position for the 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix, unexpectedly outpacing Formula 1 title contenders Max Verstappen and Lando Norris and now the Ferrari driver has a plan to win it.
This pole in Qualifying on Saturday in Mexico, his first of the season and sixth in his Formula 1 career, places Sainz among Ferrari legends Juan Manuel Fangio and Phil Hill on the team’s all-time pole position list.
Ferrari saw a strong qualifying result, becoming the only team with both drivers in the top two rows for the race, with United States GP winner and teammate Charles Leclerc set to start from P4 on the grid.
The Scuderia’s 253rd pole position marks Ferrari as the first team in 2024 to take the top grid slot with two different drivers, highlighting a year of competitive gains. Sainz was the only driver to break the 1-minute, 16-second barrier, with both his Q3 lap times good enough to secure pole.
After his success in qualifying, Sainz said of the technical challenges of the Mexico circuit, particularly the high-altitude, low-grip conditions: “Very happy and a great couple of laps. A lot of times around Mexico you always have the feeling like you cannot put a lap together and it’s extremely difficult with how much sliding there is.
"But today, honestly my two laps in Q3 were pretty much identical, almost perfect. I just put two really solid laps in Q3, enough for pole, and very happy because that’s not normally the case around Mexico with how tricky it is.”
Sainz: I’ll be just looking forward to keeping that P1 into Turn 1
The Spaniard credited recent improvements to his driving and the car setup, especially following developments since Austin: “Definitely since Austin we’ve done, it seems especially on my side, a step up. Also in qualifying trying to find something extra with the out-lap and tyre preparation, and it seems like we are going in the right direction."
Sainz acknowledged the importance of Sunday's race as Ferrari looks to gain ground in the 2024 F1 Constructors' Championship: “For sure, it’s our number one priority, first of all to bring both cars home but especially if you win the race, those extra seven-eight points you get when you win are important for the team in the constructors’.
"As for his game plan for the Mexico City GP, Sainz said: "I’ll be just looking forward to keep that P1 into Turn 1, and from there hopefully our race pace should be good enough to win it.”
Leclerc: I struggle a bit more on low grip tracks
Starting from pole at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez can be challenging, with the extended run to Turn 1 often presenting risks for the leader. Nevertheless, Ferrari’s positioning on the front rows allows the team to plan a strategic start, aiming to capitalize on their SF-24’s competitive long-run pace.
In the sister car, from P4 on the second row, Leclerc will start behind Verstappen. Last Sunday's US GP winner summed up his session in Mexico: "I didn’t have the feeling I wanted in the car, neither in FP3 nor in qualifying, and P4 was the best I could do today.
"With my driving style, I struggle a bit more on low grip tracks such as this one, but I’m confident that with the race pace I had yesterday, I can push in tomorrow’s race. I will need a really good start to challenge for the win, and starting from P4 will not make that easy, but I will give it my all," declared Leclerc.
2024 Mexico City Grand Prix Grid:
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