Daniel Ricciardo’s Joe Namath second

It is probably not on par with Joe Namath boldly predicting a New York Jets’ upset win forward of Tremendous Bowl III, however Daniel Ricciardo adopted up an enormous assertion about his tempo on Friday with a surprising efficiency in qualifying Saturday for the Mexico Metropolis Grand Prix.

After a robust efficiency in Friday’s second observe session noticed the AlphaTauri driver end sixth on the time sheets — simply three-tenths of a second behind pace-setter Max Verstappen — Ricciardo declared within the group’s post-practice report that he had a “high ten” automotive.

He proved it Saturday, pushing his AT04 into Q3 and onto the second row, the place he’ll begin fourth.

Alongside Verstappen, his former teammate at Pink Bull.

“I’m more than happy. P4 is just a little larger than we anticipated inside the high 10, however the tempo has been there from the beginning of the weekend. After Austin, understanding we had a standard weekend in Mexico to attempt issues with our setup, we began with a barely totally different automotive and positively extra towards what I used to be after. I used to be pleased to hit the bottom working yesterday. The arrogance within the automotive was there, and we had been all the time a stable P10 automotive, with some purple sectors typically,” stated Ricciardo within the group’s post-qualifying report.

“Earlier than qualifying, it wasn’t about whether or not we might make it into Q3 however how far up the grid we might qualify. Yuki was nice and gave me a slipstream in Q1 and a pair of, in order that positively gave us the additional tenth or two to get in, after which Q3 was simply our tempo. From that standpoint, we had the tempo to do it,” added Ricciardo. “The lap I used to be visualising in my head was possibly P7, or P6 at greatest, however P4 is wild. As a group, we have now to take pleasure in it as a result of it’s an enormous second. It’s not usually that we get this far into the highest 10, so there’s part of me that might be having fun with it for the subsequent hour.”

Picture by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Photos

As famous, Ricciardo did get an enormous increase from teammate Yuki Tsunoda. With Tsunoda compelled to start out in the back of the sector on account of an engine penalty, he performed the position of wingman for Ricciardo, giving him a number of tows throughout qualifying to help Ricciardo’s effort.

That additionally helped Ricciardo maximize his tyres through the three qualifying classes.

“With Yuki ranging from the again of the grid, he confirmed how a lot of a group participant he’s by giving Daniel tows all through Qualifying,” stated AlphaTauri Chief Race Engineer Jonathan Eddolls. “This was key to the success in the present day as a result of it allowed Daniel to save lots of a tyre set in Q1, leaving two new units of the comfortable compound for Q3.”

Whereas the job shouldn’t be finished but for Ricciardo, he is aware of he has a superb likelihood to complete within the factors within the Grand Prix, and produce dwelling some massive factors for the group.

“Factors are awarded tomorrow although, and I imagine we have now an opportunity to attain quite a bit. Half the job is finished nevertheless it’s a long term to Flip 1, so I’ll preserve calm, choose a superb line, and race laborious.”

Winners: Ferrari

Picture by Tune Haiyuan/MB Media/Getty Photos

At the US Grand Prix, Ferrari inched nearer to Mercedes within the battle for second within the Constructors’ Championship. That, in fact, was due largely to the disqualifications handed right down to Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, a DQ that erased Hamilton’s robust second-place efficiency.

Solely 22 factors presently separate the groups, however due to Saturday’s huge effort from Ferrari, they’ve an opportunity to actually cut back that deficit on Sunday.

Leclerc captured pole for the fourth time in a Grand Prix this season, and for the second-straight race. Beginning alongside him on the entrance row? Teammate Carlos Sainz Jr.

“After FP3 I used to be satisfied we might do effectively, however possibly not this effectively! Efficiency this afternoon was primarily pushed by the tyres as a result of there was the danger that in the event you pushed too laborious at first of the lap, you’d have killed the tyres on the entrance or the rear in direction of the tip of the lap,” stated Workforce Principal Frederic Vasseur within the group’s post-qualifying report. “We managed issues very effectively throughout Q1 and Q2 and we had the benefit of getting two new units of Softs for Q3 for each Charles and Carlos and the primary flying laps proved to be the very best.”

Nonetheless, as everybody famous following qualifying, there’s a great distance in direction of Flip 1 at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, and quite a bit can occur on that opening straight. Vasseur pointed to that truth as effectively.

“After all we’ll take pleasure in in the present day’s end result however we should not get carried away and we’re already centered on how we will convert this efficiency to the absolute best end result tomorrow as we noticed the sector may be very tight,” added Vasseur. “It’s a really long term to show 1 and the slipstream right here is a crucial issue, however we nonetheless favor to start out from the entrance row. Having each drivers there separated by six hundredths exhibits the group is doing a superb job.”

With the Mercedes due of Hamilton and George Russell set to start out sixth and eighth, respectively, Ferrari is in an excellent place heading into the race.

Loser: Lando Norris

On the opposite finish of the spectrum, it was a slightly combined day for McLaren. Their current run of type pushed them into fourth place within the Constructors’ Championship following the US Grand Prix, passing Aston Martin, and with Oscar Piastri beginning seventh, they’re in a superb place to increase their present lead.

However Lando Norris finds himself in the back of the sector, on account of a little bit of dangerous luck throughout Q1. He bailed out of his first two push laps, on account of a difficulty with the automotive on the primary run after which a mistake on his second. As he was preventing on the finish of Q1 to submit the lap he wanted to advance, Fernando Alonso’s spin introduced out the yellow flag, and the session ended with Norris nonetheless within the drop zone.

He ended up nineteenth, and he’ll begin the Grand Prix in 18th after Tsunoda’s penalty.

“Immediately’s result’s clearly not what we needed. A difficulty with the automotive on the primary run meant we didn’t set the banker lap we wanted,” stated Norris after qualifying. “I made a mistake on my second run, and didn’t get an opportunity to finish my third lap as a result of yellow flag, however that’s the way in which it’s typically. It’s irritating because the automotive was good and the velocity was there. I’ll bounce again tomorrow.”

Winners: Alfa Romeo

Picture by Kym Illman/Getty Photos

Saturday was a robust day for Alfa Romeo.

The group noticed each Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu advance into Q3 for simply the second time this season, the primary coming again on the Hungarian Grand Prix. Bottas is about to start out the Grand Prix in ninth place, with Zhou alongside him in tenth.

“The end result we have now achieved in the present day positively represents a stable start line for tomorrow’s race. We’re delighted for each automobiles to have made it into Q3, and we should pay tribute to our drivers, to everybody trackside, in addition to the group again dwelling in Hinwil, and to our engine suppliers, Ferrari,” stated Workforce Consultant Alessandro Alunni Bravi. “We had been capable of correctly maximise our package deal in the present day, and I reckon we have now an actual likelihood so as to add factors to our tally tomorrow. It wasn’t simple on the market, however each Valtteri and Zhou did a stable job, having been capable of extract the utmost from their automobiles and from their very own efficiency.”

“It’s nice to have each automobiles in Q3, particularly contemplating the place we had been only a week in the past. I’m actually happy with the group for the work finished: every thing ran easily in the present day. The observe positively fits our automotive fairly effectively, so it’s been good enjoyable on the market: I believe I acquired probably the most out of our automotive in the present day, regardless of a lock-up within the final sector on my ultimate lap,” added Bottas within the group’s post-qualifying report. “Waiting for tomorrow, with the tempo we’ve proven up to now, in addition to what we have now learnt in observe, I reckon we have now a concrete likelihood to carry dwelling some good factors, so I’m wanting ahead to getting within the combine.”

“We saved enhancing with every session, feeling extra snug with every lap,” added Zhou. “Now, with two automobiles within the high ten, we have now a superb likelihood to attain factors: we’ll nonetheless want a robust race tomorrow, however we’ve put ourselves in a superb place to take action.”

Popping out of the summer season shutdown, Alfa Romeo said their clear objective of ending seventh within the Constructors’ Championship, forward of their competitors for that spot, Williams and Haas. Whereas Williams presently has a ten-point lead in that combat, Saturday’s effort from Alfa Romeo provides them a superb likelihood at reducing into that lead.

Losers: Williams

Talking of Williams …

This was not the Saturday Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant had been hoping for. Coming off their first double-points end of the yr in the US Grand Prix final week, each drivers endured deleted lap instances, and because of this Saturday goes into the books as a day they wish to overlook.

Albon posted a lap throughout Q2 that might have been ok to advance into Q3, however that lap time was deleted for exceeding observe limits. He’s set to start out the Grand Prix in P14.

“I don’t suppose it was observe limits, nevertheless, I is perhaps mistaken. Based mostly on the exterior view of the shot, it regarded to me that my rear tyres had been nonetheless on the white line, nevertheless, it’s what it’s,” stated Albon.

“It’s actually irritating however what’s extra irritating is the shortage of tempo in Qualifying; I used to be 4 or five-tenths slower than I used to be in FP3, shedding a number of grip, so I nearly needed to do tyre administration to maintain the tyres alive into sector 3.

“It was the identical from FP1 to FP2 and now FP3 to Quali, so we actually must look into it. We’ll look to tomorrow and see what we will do.”

Issues had been even worse for Sargeant. First, he did not advance out of Q1 after he couldn’t submit a time. As a result of he did not submit a time, the group needed to request permission for him to even enter the race, regardless of failing to submit a qualifying time inside 107% of the quickest time in Q1. Fortunately, that was granted.

Nonetheless, he acquired phrase late Saturday evening that he was given a ten-place grid penalty for overtaking underneath a yellow flag, when Alonso spun close to the tip of Q1.

Bear in mind, Sargeant has but to lock down his spot for subsequent season. Final week’s factors actually helped his trigger, however Saturday appeared like a step within the mistaken path for the rookie driver.