MEXICO CITY — Carlos Sainz Jr. from Ferrari secured his first pole position of the season during the qualifying rounds at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez for the Mexico City Grand Prix. In contrast, Sergio Perez’s challenging Formula 1 campaign continued, as he did not make it past the initial qualifying round.

Sainz expressed his excitement following the successful laps, indicating, “I’m very happy with my performance. In Mexico, it often feels impossible to put together a perfect lap, but my two runs were nearly identical and close to flawless. This is particularly rewarding given how tricky this track can be.”

Max Verstappen, the three-time reigning champion who underwent an engine swap earlier in the day, clinched the second spot on the grid for Red Bull. Verstappen boasts a strong history in Mexico City with five victories. Following him was Lando Norris from McLaren, who is in pursuit of the driver’s championship, starting in third place. Behind Norris was Charles Leclerc of Ferrari, who achieved victory in the United States Grand Prix the previous weekend.

Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton achieved fifth and sixth placements respectively. Meanwhile, Kevin Magnussen from Haas qualified seventh, and the top ten was completed by Pierre Gasly from Alpine, Alex Albon of Williams, and Nico Hülkenberg from Haas.

The spotlight in Mexico City lies heavily on Perez, who faces mounting pressure to retain his position within Red Bull, despite having signed a contract extension in June. His season has been far from stellar, marked by having no wins and currently sitting eighth in the driver standings, compounded by three crashes. This underperformance has contributed to McLaren’s ascent past Red Bull in the constructors’ championship.

After a difficult qualifying session, Perez expressed his frustration, citing significant issues with his car’s handling. “It’s unfortunate; I’m facing numerous challenges in slowing down the car,” he lamented. “I lack grip while braking, and that’s my primary concern. We understand the issues we have, but there isn’t a quick solution.”

Starting in 18th position on Sunday, Perez will navigate a track known for its difficulty in overtaking, recalling his crash on the opening lap last year. He acknowledged a strategy focused on damage control. “I aim to secure some points and mitigate the impact of our qualifying performance; we must give it our all,” he stated. “This was the weekend I wanted to excel, but it hasn’t gone as planned.”

Despite team principal Christian Horner’s reiterations about Perez’s contract extending to 2025, there are performance clauses that could jeopardize his position by season’s end. Horner commented on the matter, saying, “This has been a rough year for Checo. We are aware of his potential and hope to provide him with the car setup needed to reclaim his competitive edge. He remains our driver, and we are committed to supporting him.”

However, Perez’s lackluster qualifying performance casts uncertainty over his need to excel in the race. It’s particularly perplexing for Red Bull, given that Verstappen, despite encountering significant engine complications, managed to secure a better qualifying time.

After struggling with power issues, Verstappen underwent a power unit change before the final practice and qualifying sessions. To evade a grid penalty, the team utilized an older engine from their inventory, setting the stage for Verstappen to potentially start with new equipment in the upcoming Brazilian race.

On race day, Verstappen is expected to adopt an aggressive approach in his bid to overtake Sainz right from the beginning. He noted, “I had a tough previous day with limited track time, so I had to make up for lost ground. I felt pressure to perform in qualifying, but I’m very pleased to start on the front row.”

Oscar Piastri, who had the fastest time during Saturday’s final practice, did not progress beyond the first qualifying round. Meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda, another driver under consideration to fill Perez’s role at Red Bull, unfortunately crashed during the second round of qualifying.