Sainz success shows his class as Ferrari rise above the radar

MEXICO CITY, Mexico — Carlos Sainz may be leaving Ferrari this year, but he showed on Saturday (Sunday, Manila time) that he remains one of the fastest drivers in Formula One and a loyal and dedicated competitor.

Set to be replaced at Maranello by Mercedes' seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton next season, Sainz dominated qualifying to seize his sixth career pole position with two near-perfect laps at the Mexico City Grand Prix.

Many paddock observers find it difficult to understand how such an elite driver has been rejected by Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes.

He outpaced Red Bull's three-time champion Max Verstappen by two-tenths of a second in a tense and intriguing session that gives him a perfect opportunity to secure a fourth victory for Ferrari before he moves on to Williams next year.

"I am so very happy," said Sainz. "I had a great couple of laps -- and a lot of the time here, in Mexico, you have a feeling that you cannot put a lap together as it is so extremely difficult with all the sliding.

"Today my two laps in Q3 were pretty much identical and almost perfect. That's a great feeling because it is so tricky here."

Sainz added that he had never lost his feeling of being part of the team at Ferrari, despite knowing since January that he was on the way out -- and faced months of trying to find a seat for 2025.

"It has not been easy when I was talking to other teams in between the races, but once I reached my decision, I was able to stay focused as always -- it is Ferrari and we want to win.

"It's our number one priority, of course, to bring both cars home, especially if you win the race. The extra seven or eight points that you can win are important for the team in the constructors' so I will be looking forward to taking that P1 into Turn One and hopefully our race pace will be good enough to win it.

"We are going in the right direction and I am looking forward to finishing the job."

Sainz will have Verstappen alongside him on the front row with McLaren's Lando Norris third and his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc fourth.

A good result by the Ferrari duo could see them overhaul Red Bull for second place in the constructors' championship, which McLaren lead with 544 ahead of Red Bull on 504. Ferrari have 496.

In the drivers' title race, Verstappen leads with 354, 57 ahead of Norris on 297 with Leclerc third on 275.

Another victory for the Monegasque driver, who won last Sunday in Austin, could see him challenge Norris for second place, keeping alive Ferrari's hopes in both title contests.

"We are not thinking about these things, but we are just staying under the radar," said team boss Fred Vasseur, who recruited Hamilton and has restored order and reliability to Ferrari.

With five races remaining, the 'scarlet scuderia' appear to be a team on the rise with Sainz setting the pace.