F1 LIVE | Qualifying for 2022 Mexican Grand Prix

21:04, 29 Oct 2022

byGPblog.com

Qualifying for the Mexican Grand Prix is about to begin and based on the final free practice, there is a surprising favourite: Mercedes. George Russell and Lewis Hamilton were by far the fastest earlier in the day. Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez will have to come up with something. The lights will soon go green and Q1 will start at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriquez.

Follow qualifying in Mexico

Russell was on pole in Hungary earlier this year. Can he repeat this feat? Or will Hamilton soon be the fastest thanks to his experience? In any case, Mercedes benefits greatly from the altitude and thin air, making the engine power of all cars more equal. Verstappen did not have a strong FP3. The question is how much margin is left in his Red Bull?

Ferrari were the fastest on Friday, but even then the team reported that the result was not representative. Indeed, the red cars struggled considerably to stay on the track of Mercedes and Red Bull. Like Verstappen, Leclerc struggled to put in a clean lap during FP3. Like Verstappen, Leclerc also had his moments.

Two grid penalties already known

We already know from two drivers that they will be put back on the grid. Kevin Magnussen is changing to his sixth (!) internal combustion engine of the season and gets a five-place grid penalty for doing so. The second name is Lance Stroll. The Aston Martin driver will redeem his three-place penalty after causing the incident with Fernando Alonso in the United States.

We are likely to face a dry session, even if there are some showers hanging around Mexico City. However, these are not very likely to actually reach the circuit.