
Daniel Ricciardo has claimed pole position for the 2018 Mexican Grand Prix, making it his 3rd career pole position, with team-mate Max Verstappen qualifying in second place, setting a time just 0.026s slower than the Aussie. This is the first time during this hybrid era that Red Bull will have both their drivers starting a race from first and second, in fact you have to go back all the way to the 2013 United States Grand Prix for the last time something similar happened, when Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber were their drivers. World Championship leader and champion-elect Lewis Hamilton qualified in third for Mercedes, with main rival Sebastian Vettel starting in fourth, with the Finns of Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen starting in fifth and sixth respectively for Mercedes and Ferrari. All the top 6 drivers will be starting the race on the ultra-soft tyre, which is the middle tyre of the range available.
Just in case anyone reading this may not be aware, Hamilton will officially become World Champion if he finishes seventh or better, and that is only if Vettel wins the race, otherwise Hamilton will be World Champion regardless of how he fares in the race.
Starting grid:
Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer
Max Verstappen - Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer
Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes
Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari
Valtteri Bottas - Mercedes
Kimi Raikkonen - Ferrari
Nico Hulkenberg - Renault
Carlos Sainz - Renault
Charles Leclerc - Sauber-Ferrari
Marcus Ericsson - Sauber-Ferrari
Esteban Ocon - Racing Point Force India-Mercedes
Fernando Alonso - McLaren-Renault
Sergio Perez - Racing Point Force India-Mercedes
Brendon Hartley - Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda
Stoffel Vandoorne - McLaren-Renault
Kevin Magnussen - Haas-Ferrari
Lance Stroll - Williams-Mercedes
Romain Grosjean - Haas-Ferrari
Sergey Sirotkin - Williams-Mercedes
Pierre Gasly - Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda