Qualifications – Mexico: Four in a row for Nico Rosberg
For the fourth consecutive time, it's Nico Rosberg who took the lead at the end of the qualifications in Mexico. He outperformed his teammate, Lewis Hamilton, and his championship rival, Sebastian Vettel. Kimi Räikkönen had a technical problem and will only start 15th.
While there were concerns about a volcanic eruption, the qualifications were ultimately able to take place in perfect conditions, even though there were also fears that a few drops of rain might shuffle the deck.
During Q1, only 19 drivers were able to take to the track as Jenson Button was once again forced to change his engine following a technical issue during the final free practice session. The Briton, already penalized by 50 grid places, was thus assured of starting last and did not complete a single lap. Ahead of him, in the Manor drivers’ duel, it was Alexander Rossi who once again came out on top. The last two to be eliminated were Felipe Nasr and Fernando Alonso’s second McLaren.
On the occasion of Q2, Kimi Räikkönen once again faced bad luck and technical issues. Indeed, at the end of the pit straight, the Finn spun and then reported on the radio that it was due to technical problems. His brakes failed him, forcing him to end his session prematurely. This relegated him to 15th place on the grid and thus required a remarkable comeback to attempt to score new points.
SPIN CYCLE: Kimi Räikkönen loses his rear end. “I have some issue with the brakes,” he says #Quali #MexicoGP pic.twitter.com/ZZCFuNm4nC
— Formula 1 (@F1) 31 Octobre 2015
At the last minute, Max Verstappen was able to climb to 8th place, which once again knocked his teammate, Carlos Sainz, out of the top 10. The Spaniard was joined in the group of eliminations by the two Lotus cars of Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado. Finally, Marcus Ericsson could only manage 14th place.
This meant that the local favorite, Sergio Perez, was able to reach Q3, much to the delight of the tens of thousands of spectators packed in the stands around the circuit. Nevertheless, Sahara Force India decided to gamble everything on a single lap for both its drivers. In the end, it was the Mexican who narrowly edged out Nico Hülkenberg. The two drivers would thus occupy the fifth row. They were outpaced by Max Verstappen, once again ideally positioned to score points.
In front, the two Williams couldn’t do better than 6th and 7th, with Valtteri Bottas ahead of Felipe Massa. To separate the two Red Bulls, it was necessary to look at the screens very closely: only one thousandth of a second separated the two teammates, in favor of Daniil Kvyat.
For the top three, we find the usual suspects of the two Mercedes and Sebastian Vettel. Nico Rosberg seems to have found his rhythm in the one-lap exercise that he excelled at last year. Indeed, he was commanding from his very first Q3 attempt. While Lewis Hamilton managed to climb back to the top on his second lap, the German immediately responded, as the third lap did not allow the drivers to improve. As for the German from Ferrari, he stated he gave it his all, but couldn’t be closer than three-tenths from his compatriot.
The confrontation at the first corner is expected to be heated once again between the two Mercedes drivers, following the incidents at Suzuka and Austin.
#QUALI PROVISIONAL CLASSIFICATION: @nico_rosberg claims 4th straight pole #MexicoGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/s34fQ7Rttd
— Formula 1 (@F1) 31 Octobre 2015
