Mexico GP qualifying: Nico Rosberg heads Mercedes front-row lockout
Ryan Joseph Ramos October 31, 2015There’s nothing left to play for, but it’s clear that Mercedes drivers Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton are still going for victories. The Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 drivers managed their 13th front-row lockout of the season, with Rosberg getting pole position for the 2015 Mexican Grand Prix.
This is Rosberg’s fifth pole of the season, and his fourth straight. Here’s an interesting stat: out of his last 10 pole positions dating back to last year, Rosberg had only been able to steer two of those to a race win. In the last race, where Hamilton clinched his latest of three driver’s titles, Rosberg led late but made a mistake that allowed Hamilton to slip past him.
“I’ve felt good all weekend and been quick in all of the sessions,” said the German driver. Now, it will be up to whether or not he can race mistake-free on Sunday. He can’t lose the lead on the first corner, and he better make sure he’s locked down by the last.
The provisional grid after the Mercedes cars looks as follows: Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel in P3, the Red Bulls of Daniil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo in P4 and P5, respectively, the Williams of Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa in P6 and P7, respectively, Toro Rosso’s Max Verstappen in P8, and the Force India cars of Sergio Perez (P9) and Nico Hulkenberg (P10) round out the top 10 qualifiers.
Mercedes took the front row, but Williams (who are running Mercedes engines) were able to get the fastest speed along the straights for which it is known. Massa and Bottas took the first and second top speeds, respectively, while Mercedes could only manage fourth (Rosberg) and eighth (Hamilton).
“In the end Mercedes were too quick, but who knows what will happen tomorrow?” asked Vettel. “It’s a fun track.”
