Max Verstappen was on an almighty push lap in his final Q3 run during the Mexico City GP qualifying and looked set to steal the pole position away from Lewis Hamilton in the dying moments. However, as he came out of Turn 12, the Dutch driver had to deal with unexpected traffic, which derailed his entire momentum.
Recalling the scenes he encountered on his final push lap of qualifying, Verstappen detailed, "I arrived to Turn 12, and then I picked up dirty air because they were driving so slow. So, I already lost a bit of time there." The Dutchman added: "I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw him (Lando Norris)."
Seeing the No. 1 McLaren on the right side of the track, Verstappen lost his braking reference and had to enter at a different angle to his braking point at a very tight corner. As a result, the four-time world champion locked up his left front tire that cost him valuable time as well as a potential pole position. As things stand, the No. 3 driver will be starting the Mexico City GP in P5.
Notably, Verstappen had been very quick all day long, and particularly in Q3, as he sat in second after the opening runs. But even if the Dutchman had been able to complete his final push ...