Formula 1

Bottas takes pole position as Mercedes lock out the front row at the Mexican Grand Prix

2 Mins read
Credit: LAT Images/DaimlerAG Archive

Valtteri Bottas clinched pole position at the 2021 Mexican Grand Prix in the eighteenth race of the 2021 FIA Formula 1 World Championship.

Lewis Hamilton had to be content with second position and will start from the first row. Max Verstappen finished in third position. The Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team have locked out the front row for the race on Sunday.

The qualifying session at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez circuit in Mexico City took place under sunny conditions with air temperatures at 21 degree C and track temperatures at 45 degree C.

The Pirelli tyre choice at this race is the white-striped hard compound tyres (C2), yellow-striped medium compound tyres (C3), and red-striped soft compound tyres (C4).

Q1: Alonso Eliminated

The eighteen-minute long first qualifying session got underway and the first drivers on the track were the Uralkali Haas F1 Team drivers and Nicholas Latifi.

There was hectic activity in the Red Bull Racing garage as they worked on Verstappen’s rear-wing.

Kimi Räikkönen set the first timed lap. Charles Leclerc went to the top of the time charts with a lap time of 1m17.991s.

Lance Stroll crashed as he came out of the final turn and brought out the red flags with ten minutes and fifty-eight seconds left. Only seven drivers had set a timed lap at this point.

The debris was cleared and the barriers repaired before the session resumed.

Verstappen went to the top of the time charts with a lap time of 1m16.788s, 0.663s faster than team-mate Pérez.

In the dying minutes of the session with track evolution, Bottas went to the top of the time charts with Leclerc in second position.

Q1 dropzone: Fernando Alonso, Nicholas Latifi, Mick Schumacher, Nikita Mazepin, Lance Stroll

Q2: Hamilton tops the session as Vettel is knocked out

The drivers went out on the medium compound tyres which seems the favoured tyre to start the race on.

Verstappen went to the top of the time charts with a lap time of 1m 16.483s. Hamilton was just 0.016 seconds behind in second position.

In the dying minutes of the session, Hamilton displaced Verstappen at the top of the time charts as he went 0.009 seconds faster.

Antonio Giovinazzi brought out the yellow flags briefly but the drivers behind him were able to complete their laps.

Q2 dropzone: Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Räikkönen, George Russell, Antonio Giovinazzi, Esteban Ocon

Q3: Bottas snatches pole position

The all-important twelve minute-long final shootout started with the drivers jostling for position to get a slipstream along the long straights.

Bottas was on provisional pole with a lap time of 1m15.875s and Hamilton was 0.145 seconds back as he slotted into second position. Verstappen did not have a good lap and was 0.350 seconds behind the leader.

On the second run, Pérez was giving a tow to Verstappen and went off the track and the Dutchman locked up for good measure as he lost pole position.

Bottas took pole position as none of the drivers behind him improved and Mercedes locked out the front row.

Top 10: Valtteri Bottas, Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Sergio Pérez, Pierre Gasly, Carlos Sainz, Daniel Ricciardo, Charles Leclerc, Yuki Tsunoda, Lando Norris

2021 Mexican GP Qualification Results:

PosNoDriverNat.TeamQ1Q2Q3Laps
177Valtteri BottasFINMercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team1:16.7271:16.8641:15.87523
244Lewis HamiltonGBRMercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team1:17.2071:16.4741:16.02022
333Max VerstappenNEDRed Bull Racing1:16.7881:16.4831:16.22518
411Sergio PerezMEXRed Bull Racing1:17.0031:17.0551:16.34218
510Pierre GaslyFRAScuderia AlphaTauri Honda1:16.9081:16.9551:16.45622
655Carlos SainzESPScuderia Ferrari1:17.5171:17.2481:16.76123
73Daniel RicciardoAUSMcLaren F1 Team1:17.7191:17.0921:16.76317
816Charles LeclercMONScuderia Ferrari1:16.7481:17.0341:16.83722
922Yuki TsunodaJAPScuderia AlphaTauri Honda1:17.3301:16.7011:17.15819
104Lando NorrisGBRMcLaren F1 Team1:17.5691:17.4731:36.83019
115Sebastian VettelGERAston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team1:17.5021:17.74616
127Kimi RäikkönenFINAlfa Romeo Racing ORLEN1:17.6061:17.95818
1363George RussellGBRWilliams Racing1:17.9581:18.17213
1499Antonio GiovinazziITAAlfa Romeo Racing ORLEN1:17.8971:18.29015
1531Esteban OconFRAAlpine F1 Team1:18.1261:18.40513
1614Fernando AlonsoESPAlpine F1 Team1:18.4527
176Nicholas LatifiCANWilliams Racing1:18.7568
1847Mick SchumacherGERUralkali Haas F1 Team1:18.8589
199Nikita MazepinRAFUralkali Haas F1 Team1:19.3039
2018Lance StrollCANAston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team1:20.8733
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