P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Ferrari’s front row lockout. Daniel Ricciardo qualifying his AlphaTauri fourth. Practice high-flier Alex Albon suddenly ending up well short. Mexican Grand Prix qualifying was full of shocks. Mark Hughes explains them
“The Mexican Grand Prix qualifying session proved to be highly unpredictable, with Ferrari experiencing a sudden improvement in performance during Q3, putting them almost a second ahead of their previous times. This allowed both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz to outpace Max Verstappen’s Red Bull. On the other hand, Alex Albon’s Williams, which had been consistently fast, suddenly fell behind by 1 second. Despite suspicions that the car was running light during practice, it was evident that there was another factor at play. Daniel Ricciardo’s AlphaTauri also performed exceptionally well, securing a fourth-place position. The extreme volatility in performance can be attributed to the high altitude of the Mexico City circuit, resulting in 25% less downforce on the tires due to the thinner air. This lack of downforce makes it difficult to generate sufficient heat in the front tires during the preparation lap. Additionally, the significant temperature variation at the high altitude causes a disproportionate change in track temperature, further impacting tire performance. Ultimately, these factors led to unexpected shifts in performance and added excitement to the qualifying session.”
Source: The Race
