Daniel Ricciardo expects more pace as Max Verstappen goes for season-record


Daniel Ricciardo says his McLaren should have more pace during the Mexican Grand Prix, after qualifying 11th for the race.

The Australian was compromised on his flying lap in Q2 in Mexico, driving in traffic and being knocked out in 11th.

He goes into his third-last race with the McLaren needing a solid performance to help his team in their fight with Alpine for fourth in the constructors’ championship.

Ricciardo will also be hoping for a strong finish to the season as he tries to find a new team, more than likely for the 2024 season.

Looking back on qualifying, the Australian said there were positives to take out of the session as they head into the race.

“I think it was certainly promising in some areas and we had decent pace,” he said.

“I think things still look encouraging for [the race].”

McLaren sits fifth in the constructors’ championship, just 11 points behind Alpine.

That gap was originally just six points after last weekend’s United States Grand Prix, but Alpine successfully overturned a penalty imposed on Fernando Alonso which promoted him to seventh place.

McLaren has scored 138 points so far this season, but Ricciardo has only contributed 29 of those.

His best result came three outings ago in Singapore when he survived a weather-affected race to finish fifth.

Verstappen’s bid for history starts on pole

Max Verstappen has 13 race wins this season.(Reuters: Edgard Garrido)

Max Verstappen has an opportunity to become the first driver to win 14 races in a season, after already securing his second drivers’ championship.

The Red Bull driver equalled the record with Michael Schumacher (2004) and Sebastian Vettel (2013) last weekend in the US.

The Dutchman will start the race on pole, having previously won in Mexico in 2017, 2018 and 2021.

He has the Mercedes of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton starting second and third, as both British drivers chase their first win of the year.

Since the Mexican Grand Prix returned to the calendar in 2016, only Red Bull and Mercedes have won the race.

The Mexican Grand Prix will be held on Monday, 7am AEDT, 4am AWST.



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Mexican GP Qualifying | Verstappen beats Mercedes for pole, closes in on 14th win


Max Verstappen inched closer to a record 14th victory of the Formula One season by holding off a pair of Mercedes and Mexican favorite Sergio Perez to win the pole Saturday for the Mexico City Grand Prix.

It was the sixth pole of the season for Verstappen, who clinched his second consecutive F1 title earlier this month. Red Bull wrapped up the constructors title last week.

With three races left in the season, the last remaining drama involves Verstappen trying to snap a tie for the single-season wins record with Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton looking to avoid the first winless season of his career, and Perez trying to become the first Mexican to win an F1 race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

With a packed crowd chanting “Ole! Ole! Ole! Che-co! Che-co!” every time Perez passed on the track, the roar was deafening as he shot into the top three. But Hamilton, who had his first lap wiped away, still had to complete a qualifying run.

Hamilton qualified third, behind teammate George Russell, as the Mercedes drivers seek their first win of the season. Hamilton, a seven-time champion, has never gone winless since his 2007 F1 debut.

He was second to Verstappen a week ago at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, where Verstappen raced to his record-tying 13th win of the season. Verstappen has not promised to give Perez any favors to help Perez win in front of his adoring fans, but Perez did himself no favors in qualifying fourth.

Red Bull has won eight consecutive races headed into Sunday.



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