The newly crowned back-to-back world champion produced a fine final flying lap to finish ahead of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, who had led the way in the final practice session.
Russell said afterwards he felt he had let down his team with a “terrible lap”, saying: “I felt like it was our pole to have.”
Verstappen’s first pole in Mexico City stands him in a strong position to win his 14th grand prix of the season and break the record for the most race wins in a single campaign.
The Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were unable to mount a serious challenge for the front row after struggling with understeer at the high-altitude Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
Valtteri Bottas, who took a surprise pole last year at this race, will start in sixth place on the grid. The Alpines of Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon complete the top 10.
MORE: What is the F1 cost cap and how are breaches punished? Process explained after Red Bull fined $7m for breaking rules
Mexican Grand Prix 2022 provisional starting grid
*Stroll penalised three grid places for causing a collision in previous round. Magnussen penalised five grid places for use of additional power unit elements.
F1 qualifying commentary, highlights from Mexican Grand Prix
END OF Q3: Verstappen takes pole position! His final lap was the best of the lot — a 1:17:775. Hamilton produced a brilliant middle sector but couldn’t hold it together, and he will start third, behind team-mate Russell. Perez is fourth, Sainz fifth, Bottas sixth and Leclerc seventh. “Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry,” says Russell over the radio, furious that he couldn’t produce on that last flying lap.
5 mins left of Q3: Verstappen goes below 1:18! What a lap. Hamilton clocks the third-fastest time, but it’s deleted for exceeding track limits. It’s Verstappen, Russell and Perez in the top three for now.
START OF Q3: Who will claim pole position? We’ll find out in around 12 minutes…
END OF Q2: Hamilton stays fastest but just eight thousandths ahead of Sainz, who put in a fine final flying lap. Russell, Verstappen and Perez make up the top five.
Drivers eliminated:
Daniel Ricciardo Zhou Guanyu Yuki Tsunoda Pierre Gasly Kevin Magnussen
5 mins left of Q2: The Ferraris look some way off the pace of the Mercedes here. Indeed, Esteban Ocon in the Alpine has just gone faster than both Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. Sergio Perez needs a fast lap in these final minutes to avoid dropping out.
10 mins left of Q2: Hamilton and Russell were the first out onto the track for this session. The former lays down a marker of 1:18:552, barely a hundredth of a second quicker than his team-mate.
START OF Q2: We’re back underway. Can Verstappen respond to the threat of Hamilton?
END OF Q1: Hamilton goes fastest! The seven-time champion moves ahead of Verstappen by around five hundredths of a second. Magnussen just about saved himself there in the Haas, too, although his team-mate is eliminated along with both Astons and Williams cars.
Drivers eliminated:
Mick Schumacher Sebastian Vettel Lance Stroll Alex Albon Nicholas Latifi
6 mins left of Q1: Verstappen completely lost the front of the car at the start of his first fast lap. His second was much better — 1:19:222 puts him first, ahead of Leclerc and Hamilton. Valtteri Bottas, who claimed a surprise pole here last year, has just gone third-quickest.
10 mins left of Q1: Alex Albon is the first man to go under 1:21, just ahead of the Haas drivers. Perez is behind Albon after the first section of his own flying lap, but the Red Bull takes nearly half a second off in that tough middle section before clocking 1:20:408. Leclerc then promptly goes nearly a second quicker!
START OF Q1: Here we go, then! Kevin Magnussen and Mick Schumacher are the first drivers out on the circuit.
10 mins to go: It’s almost time for Q1! I hope you’re all feeling as bullish as this man… (sorry)
20 mins to go: Could Sergio Perez have a home grand prix to remember? The Red Bull driver is third in the standings but just two points behind Leclerc. Victory here would go a long way towards securing a top-two finish for the constructors’ champions.
45 mins to go: The high altitude of the circuit in Mexico City looks to be helping Mercedes given the downforce benefits it provides. However, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc complained about serious understeer problems as he clocked the fourth-fastest time in FP3. He wasn’t the only one to find things difficult, either.
1 hour to go: Hello, and welcome to today’s live coverage of qualifying for the Mexican Grand Prix. The final practice session ended in a Mercedes one-two, with George Russell ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Could they repeat the feat to lock out the front row of the grid?
What time does the F1 race start?
Date: Sunday, Oct. 30 Start time: 4 p. m. ET / 8 p. m. GMT (2 p. m. local time)
Sunday’s 2022 Mexican Grand Prix is set to start at 2 p.m. local time. ESPN’s prerace show typically airs in the hour before the start of the race.
Below is the complete TV schedule for the weekend’s F1 events at the United States Grand Prix.
Formula 1 live stream for the Mexican Grand Prix
For those who don’t have a cable or satellite subscription, five major OTT TV streaming options carry the ESPN networks — fuboTV, Sling, Hulu, YouTubeTV and DirecTV Stream.
For those who do have a cable or satellite subscription but won’t be in front of a TV, Formula 1 races in 2022 can be streamed live via phones, tablets and other devices on the ESPN app with authentication.
Formula 1 schedule 2022
There are 22 scheduled events on the F1 docket for 2022, one race shy of tying the mark for longest F1 calendar.
The season started in Bahrain on March 20 and will end with the customary Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, although a bit earlier than usual, in November. This will be the earliest end of the Formula 1 season since it ended on Nov. 4 in 2013.
The Canadian and Japanese races, both of which were cancelled in 2021 amid fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, returned to the roster.
The calendar featured the maiden voyage for the Miami Grand Prix, the first of two races in the United States in 2022, with the customary United States GP taking place in October.
The Russian Grand Prix, originally scheduled for Sept. 25, was cancelled because of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
What channel is the F1 race on?
Race: Mexican Grand Prix Date: Sunday, Oct. 30 TV channel: ESPN/ABC Live stream: fuboTV
The ESPN family of networks will broadcast all 2022 F1 races in the United States using Sky Sports’ feed, with select races airing on ABC. You can also stream Formula 1 races live in the U.S. with fuboTV, which offers a free trial.
ESPN Deportes serves as the exclusive Spanish-language home for all 2022 F1 races in the U.S.
How to watch Formula 1 in Canada
TV channel: TSN (English); RDS (French) Live stream: TSN Direct
For fans in Canada, TSN will carry the English-language telecast of races. For those looking for the French-language broadcast, RDS will have you covered.
Races can also be streamed via TSN’s streaming service, TSN Direct.
How to watch Formula 1 in the United Kingdom
TV channel: Sky Sports F1 Live stream: NOW TV / Sky Go app
Viewers in the United Kingdom can catch all F1 action on Sky Sports F1, the dedicated F1 channel. For viewers planning to live stream F1 in 2022, you can watch via the Sky Go app if you’re an existing subscriber or you can purchase a Sky Sports Pass on NOW TV.
How to watch Formula 1 in Australia
TV channel: Fox Sports; Channel 10 Live stream: Kayo
Fox Sports will carry all races in Australia, with Channel 10 broadcasting the United States GP.
