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The 2024 F1 Mexican GP qualifying is crucial because it comes at a time when the championship is reaching a critical stage. To add to this, the track is not the best when it comes to making comebacks from a poor qualifying position.
The track has a long DRS straight, but the high altitude means that it is not going to be easy to pull off overtakes.
The first day of running was more inconsequential. The first session saw a lot of time being lost due to the Red Flag stoppage, and the second session was dedicated to the Pirelli tire test.
With that being said, what can we expect from the 2024 F1 Mexican GP qualifying? Let's take a look.
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#5 Disruptions and Red Flags could be a major factor
The track for the F1 Mexican GP tends to be very unforgiving as the drivers cannot put the wheel on the wrong side, which is something they were careful of during FP1 and FP2. Despite that, we've already had multiple stoppages in FP1 and FP2.
The qualifying session won't be much different and teams need to be mindful of how they approach their strategy keeping in mind that Red flags and stoppages are going to be a feature of qualifying this time around.
#4 Alpine and Haas are challenging for the top 10
The midfield tends to be very close and RB is one team that appears to be rejuvenated with the introduction of Liam Lawson to the squad. With that being said, there are two teams that could potentially fare better in these conditions.
For Alpine, this is one track where the car is not as hampered because of the altitude, which'll make the French team one to keep an eye on during qualifying. Meanwhile the upgrades Haas brought in Austin have given the team another little boost, and the car appears to have a decent pace and is a strong contender alongside Alpine for the battle of Q3.
#3 Max Verstappen is an outside contender for the top 3
Red Bull and Max Verstappen have had a disastrous start to the F1 Mexican GP race weekend. The power unit issues meant that the Dutch driver has had virtually no running this weekend. With that being said, the car does tend to do well around this track.
It's not bumpy by any means, which is a positive when it comes to Red Bull's ability to ride the kerbs. While the car cannot be considered an outright contender for the win, one can expect Max Verstappen to catapult the RB20 into the top 3 for the F1 Mexican GP.
#2 McLaren and Ferrari battle it out for pole
If there is one thing that became clear on Friday, it is that Ferrari's fears about its car's potential were unfounded. Because as soon as the car hit the track, it looked strong.
That being said, while McLaren does look a bit out of sorts at the moment, expect the team to get its act right by the time we're into the business end of the weekend. The pole position for the F1 Mexican GP will be closely contested by Ferrari and Red Bull.
#1 Charles Leclerc secures pole position for the F1 Mexican GP
Many may not remember Charles Leclerc being in pole position for the F1 Mexican GP last season. And the fact that he did it in a Ferrari that was probably less competitive than the one he sits on right now is very impressive.
It also shows how impressive Leclerc often is around this track, and in all likelihood, the battle for pole position in the F1 Mexican GP will feature both McLaren and Ferrari drivers. We're backing Leclerc to take the honors this time around.
