2021StatsMexico

Mexico City Grand Prix Qualifying Facts & Stats: Bottas continues his qualifying hot streak

Virtual StatmanSean Kelly
M287776.jpgArchive number: M287776

An astonishing Mexico City Grand Prix qualifying session saw Valtteri Bottas take pole ahead of team mate Lewis Hamilton as Mercedes ended a long drought at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. Here are the facts and stats from Saturday's scintillating session.

  • Mercedes have their first front row of any kind in Mexico since 2016.

  • Bottas has his third pole of season and second in three races.

READ MORE: ‘It was a joy to drive’ – Bottas hails ‘one of my best laps’ after surprise Mexico City GP pole

  • Hamilton has won from second on the grid three times this year (Bahrain, Portugal, Great Britain).

  • Max Verstappen third – only the sixth time this season that he has not been on the front row in 2021.

  • Sergio Perez has never previously started in the top-eight in Mexico.

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - NOVEMBER 06: Sergio Perez of Mexico and Red Bull Racing prepares to drive inP4 is Perez's best home Grand Prix start
  • Pierre Gasly qualified P5 – AlphaTauri/Toro Rosso's best-ever in Mexico.

  • Carlos Sainz managed his best-ever qualifying in Mexico with P6, but he's never scored a point here.

HIGHLIGHTS: All the action from qualifying as Mercedes spring a shock in Mexico

  • With P7, Daniel Ricciardo matched McLaren's performance in 2019.

  • Charles Leclerc outqualified by Sainz for only the fifth time this year.

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - NOVEMBER 06: Carlos Sainz of Spain driving the (55) Scuderia Ferrari SF21Sainz outqualified Leclerc – while Ricciardo starts well ahead of penalty-hit team mate Norris
  • Yuki Tsunoda ensured both AlphaTauris reach Q3 for the third consecutive race, and second consecutive race in Mexico City.

  • Kimi Raikkonen's 12th in Q2 is his best Q2 performance of the year.

READ MORE: 'It’s a real surprise' – Hamilton stunned as Mercedes outpace Red Bull to lock out front row in Mexico

  • Fernando Alonso was out in Q1 for the first time since Monaco.

  • Mick Schumacher has outqualified Haas team mate Nikita in every conventional qualifying this year when he has set a time.