Not Norris, not McLaren, but Ferrari's Carlos Sainz takes pole position in Mexico. The Spanish driver managed to put together two brilliant laps in the Q3 session, overtaking his teammate and all his direct rivals. Tomorrow, however, it will be tough to hold on to first place at Turn 1.
Pole in Mexico is the sixth of Sainz's career
The week started in Austin from the last lap led by Charles Leclerc until the qualifications of today, partly summarizes what Carlos Sainz's adventure has been in Ferrari. Over time, the Spaniard has almost learned to live with the cumbersome presence of his teammate. How? By responding to critics, who have often relegated him to the role of second driver, with results. Sainz's consistency and desire to surpass himself, Grand Prix after Grand Prix, are the characteristics that most distinguish him. And so even today, here he is, Carlos Sainz, responding to the extraordinary performance by Leclerc on the Austin circuit.
In fact, since the Friday, when the activities started at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Carlos Sainz proved to be very fast but, above all, solid. Because it is precisely this last stretch that characterized the qualifying performance of the driver from Madrid, completing two laps that he himself judged as "perfect". Now, however, tomorrow comes the best part. Carlos Sainz will be called upon to maintain, with all his strength, the first position at the start. The Mexican track is perhaps one of the most treacherous from this point of view. The straight that goes from the start to turn 1 is really long, with the drivers starting in third and fourth positions ready to exploit the slipstream of the cars starting in the front row.
Sainz satisfied with qualifying: “Pole shows the progress made”
Last week Ferrari had focused on a set-up more geared towards the race than on the single lap, obtaining third and fourth place in qualifying, but managing to win the race on Sunday. So far, however, with the exception of Q2, the two reds have also proven to be competitive for pole, with Carlos Sainz who twice in Mexico managed to set a great lap. A performance that once again underlines the progress made by the Prancing Horse, which today contributed to the excellent performance of Sainz, as he himself acknowledged.Since Austin we have taken a step forward. The in qualifying we are trying to do something more on the preparation lap to warm up the tyres, and the direction taken is the right one. But now let's look forward, let's try to complete the work tomorrow. But at least I take today's Pole Position because it shows progress".
Sainz also proved to be consistent on a circuit where it is difficult to put together a single perfect lap, due to the characteristic climate and the low grip that characterises the asphalt, as Sainz himself explained. “I've done a couple of great laps. Many times in Mexico you feel like you can't put together a tour as far as it goes, but honestly my two laps in Q3 were completely identical, almost perfect and solid. I'm very happy with how complicated the track is".
Hunting for important points
There is no point in beating around the bush, after today's excellent performance, our thoughts are definitely on the constructors' championship. Sainz, if he can get through turn 1 unscathed and if he has a competitive pace like in the last free practice sessions, can seriously prove decisive in the fight against McLaren and Red Bull.Lthe priority is to get the cars to the finish line, but those seven or eight extra points if you win can be important for the team. So I will try to keep P1 in turn 1. After that we hope that our race pace can be enough to win".
