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Max Verstappen Secures Sixth Pole Position of 2022, He's Aiming for a New World Record

This is it. The last day of the Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix is here. It's the 20th round of the 2022 season, and its results will affect both the driver and constructor standings. We have a feeling that the duel between Leclerc and Perez will go on until the last moment of the year. The only other big question is: can Mercedes overcome the 53-point gap to Ferrari and claim P2 in the Constructor Championship?
Max Verstappen Secures Sixth Pole Position of 2022, He's Aiming for a New World Record 33 photos
Photo: Red Bull Racing
Max Verstappen Secures Sixth Pole Position of 2022, He's Aiming for a New World RecordMax Verstappen Secures Sixth Pole Position of 2022, He's Aiming for a New World RecordMax Verstappen Secures Sixth Pole Position of 2022, He's Aiming for a New World RecordMax Verstappen Secures Sixth Pole Position of 2022, He's Aiming for a New World RecordMax Verstappen Secures Sixth Pole Position of 2022, He's Aiming for a New World RecordMax Verstappen Secures Sixth Pole Position of 2022, He's Aiming for a New World RecordMax Verstappen Secures Sixth Pole Position of 2022, He's Aiming for a New World RecordMax Verstappen Secures Sixth Pole Position of 2022, He's Aiming for a New World RecordMax Verstappen Secures Sixth Pole Position of 2022, He's Aiming for a New World RecordMax Verstappen Secures Sixth Pole Position of 2022, He's Aiming for a New World RecordMax Verstappen Secures Sixth Pole Position of 2022, He's Aiming for a New World RecordMax Verstappen Secures Sixth Pole Position of 2022, He's Aiming for a New World RecordMax Verstappen Secures Sixth Pole Position of 2022, He's Aiming for a New World RecordMax Verstappen Secures Sixth Pole Position of 2022, He's Aiming for a New World RecordMax Verstappen Secures Sixth Pole Position of 2022, He's Aiming for a New World RecordMax Verstappen Secures Sixth Pole Position of 2022, He's Aiming for a New World RecordMax Verstappen Secures Sixth Pole Position of 2022, He's Aiming for a New World RecordMax Verstappen Secures Sixth Pole Position of 2022, He's Aiming for a New World RecordMax Verstappen Secures Sixth Pole Position of 2022, He's Aiming for a New World RecordMax Verstappen Secures Sixth Pole Position of 2022, He's Aiming for a New World RecordMax Verstappen Secures Sixth Pole Position of 2022, He's Aiming for a New World RecordMax Verstappen Secures Sixth Pole Position of 2022, He's Aiming for a New World RecordMax Verstappen Secures Sixth Pole Position of 2022, He's Aiming for a New World RecordMax Verstappen Secures Sixth Pole Position of 2022, He's Aiming for a New World RecordMax Verstappen Secures Sixth Pole Position of 2022, He's Aiming for a New World RecordMax Verstappen Secures Sixth Pole Position of 2022, He's Aiming for a New World RecordMax Verstappen Secures Sixth Pole Position of 2022, He's Aiming for a New World RecordMax Verstappen Secures Sixth Pole Position of 2022, He's Aiming for a New World RecordMax Verstappen Secures Sixth Pole Position of 2022, He's Aiming for a New World RecordMax Verstappen Secures Sixth Pole Position of 2022, He's Aiming for a New World RecordMax Verstappen Secures Sixth Pole Position of 2022, He's Aiming for a New World RecordMax Verstappen Secures Sixth Pole Position of 2022, He's Aiming for a New World Record
The more you watch Formula 1, the more intense it gets. And yesterday's qualifying session was exciting from start to finish. Drivers gave it their best shot, in an attempt to secure a good position on the starting grid for the main event.

Everyone was out on soft tires for Q1, and speeds once again exceeded the 200 mph (321 kph) barrier down the main straight. Mercedes fans were happy to see Lewis Hamilton finishing second in P1, even though his fastest lap wasn't as good as his previous FP3 result.

The former World Champion hasn't managed to get a single Pole Position this year, whereas last year he recorded five such results. He was even more dominant in the 2020 season, as he topped the qualifying results 10 times in 17 races.

The 37-year-old Mercedes driver holds the record for most Poles in Formula 1: 103! If Max Verstappen can be the fastest driver in qualifying for all the upcoming races, he will need about four years to match that record. But that kind of performance is unheard of in F1 history.

Max Verstappen Secures Sixth Pole Position of 2022, He's Aiming for a New World Record
Photo: Daimler AG
Still, the Dutch driver was just 0.053 seconds behind Hamilton in Q1 so the battle wasn't over yet. Leclerc was the third fastest of the session, but it was somewhat surprising to see Bottas in P4. You could say that the Finn is an F1 veteran, having been in the World Championship for over a decade now. Carlos Sainz took P5, with George Russell just 0.017 seconds behind.

All the drivers up to P11, including Fernando Alonso, were less than a second slower compared to Hamilton. While Kevin Magnussen just barely managed to stay afloat and move on to Q2, Mick Schumacher was slightly below the line. And both Aston Martin and Williams drivers suffered the same fate.

Lewis Hamilton continued to set the pace for Q2 as well with a fast lap of 1:18.552. To give you a perspective on the level of driving in Formula 1, the top five drivers in this session were all less than 0.1 seconds apart. Sainz came closest to Hamilton, with Russell also increasing the pace after Q1.Verstappen would have to settle for P4, as Sergio Perez came in P5.

Bottas was once again in the big league, and he even managed to stay ahead of Charles Leclerc by over 0.3 seconds. Both Alpine drivers made it through this session. But Mclaren wasn't in as good of a spot, as Daniel Ricciardo was just below the line. His fate would be shared by Zhou Guanyu, both Alpha Tauri drivers, and Kevin Magnussen as well.

Max Verstappen Secures Sixth Pole Position of 2022, He's Aiming for a New World Record
Photo: Ferrari
It was time for the moment of truth, as Q3 is the most important moment of any Formula 1 qualifying session. Max Verstappen has won the 2022 title already, but that isn't going to stop him from trying to win more races this year.

And so he became the first driver to dip below the 1:18 per lap mark this weekend. This is his first confirmed Pole Position in Mexico, as the result he scored in 2019 was affected by a three-place grid penalty. At the same time, it's his sixth Pole in 2022 but he won't be able to catch up to Leclerc's array of nine such results.

He won four out of five races when starting from P1 this year. The Austrian Grand Prix was the sole exception, as it was Ferrari's star driver that took top honors then. If Verstappen wins this race he will set a new F1 record for most wins in a season.

He is now tied with Sebastian Vettel at 13 victories in a single year! Going back to the outcome of Q3, both Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 drivers were right behind the reigning World Champion. George Russell will be starting from P2 today, as he was 0.005 seconds faster than his teammate in qualifying.

Max Verstappen Secures Sixth Pole Position of 2022, He's Aiming for a New World Record
Photo: Daimler AG
Sergio Perez had to settle for P4 overall, with Carlos Sainz in P5 and Valtteri Bottas in P6. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc was once again in a difficult position, as he was just seventh fastest overall. This is his least impressive qualifying result since Canada when he was required to start from the back of the grid due to using additional power unit elements.

Today's race is scheduled to start at 2 PM CDT and should go on for 71 laps if everything goes according to plan. It will be interesting to see if team orders will come into play for Red Bull Racing, as Perez needs as many points as he can get to stay ahead of Charles Leclerc. But we'll know more about that by the end of the day.
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About the author: Dragos Chitulescu
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The things Dragos enjoys the most in life are, in no particular order: cars, motorcycles, diecast cars, and drifting. He's seen (and driven) many vehicles since he started his writing career back in 2009, but his garage currently houses a 1991 Mazda RX-7 FC3S Turbo II and a 1999 Suzuki SV650-S.
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