RACE DEBRIEF

    An astonishing Mexico City Grand Prix qualifying session saw Valtteri Bottas take pole ahead of team mate Lewis Hamilton as Mercedes ended a long drought at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. Here are the facts and stats from Saturday's scintillating session.

    • Mercedes have their first front row of any kind in Mexico since 2016.

    • Bottas has his third pole of season and second in three races.

    READ MORE: ‘It was a joy to drive’ – Bottas hails ‘one of my best laps’ after surprise Mexico City GP pole

    • Hamilton has won from second on the grid three times this year (Bahrain, Portugal, Great Britain).

    • Max Verstappen third – only the sixth time this season that he has not been on the front row in 2021.

    • Sergio Perez has never previously started in the top-eight in Mexico.

    MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - NOVEMBER 06: Sergio Perez of Mexico and Red Bull Racing prepares to drive in
    P4 is Perez's best home Grand Prix start
    • Pierre Gasly qualified P5 – AlphaTauri/Toro Rosso's best-ever in Mexico.

    • Carlos Sainz managed his best-ever qualifying in Mexico with P6, but he's never scored a point here.

    HIGHLIGHTS: All the action from qualifying as Mercedes spring a shock in Mexico

    • With P7, Daniel Ricciardo matched McLaren's performance in 2019.

    • Charles Leclerc outqualified by Sainz for only the fifth time this year.

    MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - NOVEMBER 06: Carlos Sainz of Spain driving the (55) Scuderia Ferrari SF21
    Sainz outqualified Leclerc – while Ricciardo starts well ahead of penalty-hit team mate Norris
    • Yuki Tsunoda ensured both AlphaTauris reach Q3 for the third consecutive race, and second consecutive race in Mexico City.

    • Kimi Raikkonen's 12th in Q2 is his best Q2 performance of the year.

    READ MORE: 'It’s a real surprise' – Hamilton stunned as Mercedes outpace Red Bull to lock out front row in Mexico

    • Fernando Alonso was out in Q1 for the first time since Monaco.

    • Mick Schumacher has outqualified Haas team mate Nikita in every conventional qualifying this year when he has set a time.