2024 F1 Mexico City GP Qualifying Results: Full starting grid for the race

Carlos Sainz pulled off two stunning laps right at the very end to claim the 2024 F1 Mexico City GP pole position. This has been the Spanish driver's first pole since the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix. Max Verstappen qualified in P2 and locked in another front-row start for him this season.

Despite being one of the favorites for pole, Lando Norris claimed P3 in the qualifying. Norris' final flying lap did not seem very optimistic as he set himself for a second-row start. Charles Leclerc fumbled in the very last lap of Q3 and, as a result, qualified in P4. The Ferrari driver was furious with his Q3 performance.

The Mercedes duo of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton locked the third-row start for them. The young Briton got the better of his older compatriot by over three-tenths. Haas' Kevin Magnussen and Alpine's Pierre Gasly locked the fourth-row start for them.

Williams Alex Albon and Haas' other driver, Nico Hulkenberg, wrapped up the top 10 starting lineup in Mexico City. Yuki Tsunoda, who crashed right at the very end of Q2, brought a red flag and ended the session. Prior to that, Tsunoda set up a P11 position for him and was improving from there.

However, the crash ruined his run. Tsunoda's teammate Liam Lawson qualified in P12, ahead of Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso. Alonso qualified in P13, beside his teammate Lance Stroll, as they locked in the seventh-row start. Valtteri Bottas of Sauber was the last driver in Q2, as he qualified in P15.

Williams' new recruit, Franco Colapinto, managed the P16 starting position, and then came two shocking names. Oscar Piastri, who has been in brilliant qualifying form this season, could only manage P17. However, the biggest upset has come from Sergio Perez.

The Mexican driver failed to make it past Q1 and, as a result, qualified in P18 of his home race. Esteban Ocon of Alpine qualified in P19, ahead of last-placed driver Zhou Guanyu in P20. The F1 grid for the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez race is expected to remain in this setting until a driver takes an engine or component parts penalty ahead of the race.

---

Here is the final starting grid for the 2024 F1 Mexico City GP:

1. Carlos Sainz - Ferrari.

2. Max Verstappen - Red Bull.

3. Lando Norris - McLaren.

4. Charles Leclerc - Ferrari.

5. George Russell - Mercedes.

6. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes.

7. Kevin Magnussen - Haas.

8. Pierre Gasly - Alpine.

9. Alex Albon - Williams.

10. Nico Hulkenberg - Haas.

11. Yuki Tsunoda - RB.

12. Liam Lawson - RB.

13. Fernando Alonso - Aston Martin.

14. Lance Stroll - Aston Martin.

15. Valtteri Bottas - Sauber.

16. Franco Colapinto - Williams.

17. Oscar Piastri - McLaren.

18. Sergio Perez - Red Bull.

19. Esteban Ocon - Alpine.

20. Zhou Guanyu - Sauber.

---

Carlos Sainz is "very happy" following the 2024 F1 Mexico City GP Qualifying pole position

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - OCTOBER 26: Carlos Sainz of Ferrari driving the (55) SF-24 at F1 Mexico City GP. Source: Getty

Following the conclusion of the qualifying on Saturday, Carlos Sainz shared that he was "very happy" after he claimed the first pole position of the season. With this, he also stated that the pole could also prove to be a good vantage point for the F1 Constructors' Championship against McLaren and Red Bull.

"Very happy," Sainz told the F1 media in the post-qualifying interview. "Great couple of laps. I did two great laps in Q3, and they were enough for the pole, which was great as normally, in Mexico, it is tricky.

"Definitely we have done a step up, it seems like we are going in the right direction and looking forward to finishing the job tomorrow. If you win, those extra points are important for the team in the constructors' - hopefully our race pace is good enough to win it."

Sainz clocked in an impressive 1:15.946 on the timesheet and was the only driver to clock in a 1-minute 15-second window. He was over two-tenths faster than the driver in P2, Max Verstappen, and over three-tenths faster than teammate Charles Leclerc.