Autobayng News Team
Last-placed Alpine fell further behind their rivals in the constructors’ championship in Austin and their plight looks set to get worse in Mexico.
For the third weekend in a row, their drivers are lapping slower than they did at the same circuit last year.
Change from practice to qualifying
In a reversal of what we’ve seen at many races this year, Red Bull were quickest on Friday but did not make their usual leap in performance overnight into Saturday. Max Verstappen was concerned about his car’s race pace after the first two practice sessions and the team may have had to sacrifice its single-lap performance to give him a car which works better over a stint.
Sector times
Lando Norris took a commanding pole position, quickest in all three sectors.
| P. | # | Driver | S1 | S2 | S3 | Ultimate lap (deficit) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Lando Norris | 26.916 (1) | 29.114 (1) | 19.556 (1) | 1’15.586 |
| 2 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | 26.945 (2) | 29.185 (3) | 19.690 (3) | 1’15.820 (+0.028) |
| 3 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | 27.041 (5) | 29.156 (2) | 19.693 (4) | 1’15.890 (+0.048) |
| 4 | 63 | George Russell | 27.022 (4) | 29.299 (5) | 19.713 (8) | 1’16.034 |
| 5 | 1 | Max Verstappen | 27.049 (6) | 29.328 (6) | 19.693 (4) | 1’16.070 |
| 6 | 12 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 27.112 (7) | 29.219 (4) | 19.787 (10) | 1’16.118 |
| 7 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | 27.013 (3) | 29.420 (9) | 19.739 (9) | 1’16.172 |
| 8 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | 27.117 (8) | 29.351 (7) | 19.705 (7) | 1’16.173 |
| 9 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | 27.198 (9) | 29.353 (8) | 19.701 (6) | 1’16.252 |
| 10 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | 27.267 (10) | 29.552 (11) | 19.641 (2) | 1’16.460 |
| 11 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | 27.331 (13) | 29.531 (10) | 19.866 (14) | 1’16.728 (+0.088) |
| 12 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | 27.277 (12) | 29.668 (13) | 19.828 (11) | 1’16.773 (+0.064) |
| 13 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | 27.430 (14) | 29.668 (13) | 19.841 (12) | 1’16.939 (+0.077) |
| 14 | 30 | Liam Lawson | 27.541 (19) | 29.564 (12) | 19.856 (13) | 1’16.961 |
| 15 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | 27.444 (15) | 29.729 (15) | 19.897 (15) | 1’17.070 (+0.033) |
| 16 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | 27.511 (18) | 29.925 (18) | 19.898 (16) | 1’17.334 (+0.078) |
| 17 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | 27.461 (16) | 29.897 (17) | 20.044 (17) | 1’17.402 (+0.144) |
| 18 | 23 | Alexander Albon | 27.276 (11) | 30.026 (20) | 20.108 (19) | 1’17.410 (+0.080) |
| 19 | 18 | Lance Stroll | 27.648 (20) | 29.865 (16) | 20.061 (18) | 1’17.574 (+0.032) |
| 20 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | 27.495 (17) | 30.015 (19) | 20.160 (20) | 1’17.670 |
Teams’ performance
Neither Pierre Gasly nor Franco Colapinto progressed beyond the first round of qualifying. Gasly reached Q3 at this race last year and qualified eighth on the grid with a lap of 1’16.892, but was over half a second slower than that this weekend.
This is the third weekend in a row Alpine have been slower than they were last year. They were one of three teams who failed to beat their 2024 lap times in Austin, along with Ferrari and Racing Bulls. In Singapore they were also the only team who lapped slower than the previous season.
Alpine stopped work on their current car early in order to prioritise their development work for next year, when they will switch to using Mercedes power units. Gasly said in July he doubts the team will be able to avoid finishing last in the championship.
Field performance
Norris produced the fastest lap of the current generation of F1 cars at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. However that was still eight tenths of a second off the all-time record set by Max Verstappen in 2019.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Miss nothing from RaceFans
Get a daily email with all our latest stories – and nothing else. No marketing, no ads. Sign up here:
2025 Mexican Grand Prix
- Live: 2025 Mexican Grand Prix
- Alpine slower than last year for third weekend in a row in Mexico
- ‘I wish I’d qualified third’ says Leclerc after claiming front row spot
- Hamilton aims to take fight to Norris: ‘I don’t have anything to lose, he does’
- 2025 Mexican Grand Prix strategy briefing: All the data to follow the race with
