Verstappen: I didn't expect to be on pole

Verstappen did not seem to be at one with his RB18 around the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, as he apparently struggled to switch on the 18" Pirellis evident from his FP3 struggles.

However when things mattered, the Dutchman put in an impressive lap in Q3 to take his 19th Formula 1 career pole position, his sixth in 2022.

"To be on pole here is amazing," Verstappen said in Red Bull's post qualifying brief. "It was a tricky start to qualifying as the track was a bit warmer than FP3, I didn't expect to be on pole here.

"Around this track it's hard to nail a lap and we've been struggling to find a good balance in the car. After practice we made quite a few adjustments and we got into a better rhythm," he revealed.

"Looking ahead to tomorrow, it's a long run into to turn one so we need a good start, I think we have a quick car and that's what is most important," Verstappen added.

"It's incredible to see the passion of all the fans here, it will be good to have Checo up there with me tomorrow, I hope we can have a fun race with a lot of action," he concluded.

Sergio Perez was only good for fourth and revealed he suffered from an "electrical issue" that kept him "pretty much blind in qualifying" as he was deprived of all the data he needed during the Saturday shootout.

Perez admitted his qualifying was a "big mess" but is looking to have a strong race on Sunday in front of his home crowds.

"It is what it is though, we just have to look forward to tomorrow and try to have the perfect race, the atmosphere is amazing and we need to come back stronger," he said.

"I will require a massive start but I still believe it is possible tomorrow. I am aware of all the effort people are putting into supporting me this weekend, it is a massive feeling to race at home," the Mexican added.

Christian Horner hailed Verstappen's qualifying performance; he said: "After an incredibly tight three qualifying sessions, it was a remarkable final lap from Max.

"To be the only car to dip into the 1:17's and achieve pole position by over 0.3 of a second is another fantastic drive," he pointed out. "2nd and 4th on the grid were covered by just under half a tenth and that sets us up for a thrilling race tomorrow.

"It's a long run down to turn 1, providing plenty of opportunity for the drivers," Horner went on echoing Verstappen's sentiments.

"The crowd will no doubt also play a factor, particularly for Checo, they have been fantastic today and with his start on the 2nd row, we look forward to seeing what tomorrow brings," the Briton concluded.