Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico
4.304 km / 2.674 miles
Weather: Hot and dry
Temperature: Air: 20-22°C Track: 43-50°C
Q1
F. Massa 1:18.570 (12th)
L. Stroll 1:18.902 (15th)
Q2
F. Massa 1:18.099 (11th)
L. Stroll 1:19.159 (12th)
Qualifying Notes
– Felipe Massa qualified 11th and Lance Stroll 12th for the Mexican Grand Prix
– Both cars ran the ultrasoft tyre in Q1, finishing with Felipe in 12th and Lance in 15th
– In Q2, both Felipe and Lance had to abort their first flying laps after Hartley brought out the yellow flags in Turn 6
– Both drivers qualified on the ultrasoft Pirelli tyre
Paddy Lowe, Chief Technical Officer: We knew from the running in FP3 this morning that it was going to be very tight to get into Q3 with the Renault’s and Force India’s looking particularly quick relative to our pace, and so it proved to be. We had good runs in Q1 and got safely into Q2 with both cars with two runs each. Unfortunately, our first run with both cars in Q2 was disrupted by yellow flags because of Hartley, so we aborted. We went out and had only one attempt in Q2 which got us P11 and P12. I’m happy with those positions considering how tight it is. We have a free choice of tyre and I think our race pace may play in our favour relative to the cars ahead. We’re definitely in the hunt to score points with both cars in the race tomorrow.
Felipe Massa: I did the best lap I could in the car. It was almost a perfect lap. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to get to Q3. I was happy with my lap. Maybe 11th is better than 10th with the clean side of the track and new tyres. Let’s concentrate on the race tomorrow and see what we can get. We are in the fight and that’s the most important thing.
Lance Stroll: It wasn’t a perfect job. Q1 was okay, and then in Q2 the first run was good at the start of the lap but then there were the yellows. Then, on the next run I just couldn’t get the tyres ready and I made many mistakes and didn’t really set a lap time. I got in a lap at the end, but I think it would have been very difficult to get into Q3. We are starting 12th, it is a long race tomorrow, we are in the middle and I think we can score points. We just have to sort out a few things and have a good race. It will be tough for everyone with the altitude.
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