If you had the driver listed at +8000 to win the 2025 Formula 1 world championship back in early September as the outright favorite to win the world championship heading into Sunday's Mexico City Grand Prix at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, congratulations; your name most certainly isn't Max Verstappen, who himself had written off a title charge given how things looked at the summer break.
Verstappen, who has reduced the gap to McLaren world championship leader Oscar Piastri by 64 points over the past four race weekends (and matched Piastri and teammate Lando Norris combined with 119 points over the past five), is a five-time winner in Mexico as well.
Can he keep the momentum rolling in race 20 of a record-tying 24 on the 2025 calendar?
Saturday's qualifying session may be a major determining factor, but perhaps not as major as you might think. Only one of Verstappen's five victories around the 17-turn, 2.674-mile (4.303-kilometer) road course in Mexico City, Mexico has come from pole position. Two didn't even come from the front row.
Verstappen's three wins since the summer break (four including the COTA sprint), however, have come from pole, and this season has seen 13 of its 19 Grands Prix won from the top spot, with four of Verstappen's five wins coming from P1.
Follow along with our live qualifying updates.
Mexico City Grand Prix qualifying: Eliminated in Q1
Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber
Alex Albon, Williams
Pierre Gasly, Alpine
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
Franco Colapinto, Alpine
Mexico City Grand Prix qualifying: Eliminated in Q2
Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull
Esteban Ocon, Haas
Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin
Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls
Mexico City Grand Prix qualifying: Full Q3 results
Lando Norris, McLaren
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
George Russell, Mercedes
Max Verstappen, Red Bull
Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Carlos Sainz Jr., Williams
Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls
Oliver Bearman, Haas
Full Mexico City Grand Prix starting lineup
1st - Lando Norris, McLaren
2nd - Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
3rd - Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
4th - George Russell, Mercedes
5th - Max Verstappen, Red Bull
6th - Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
7th - Carlos Sainz Jr., Williams
8th - Oscar Piastri, McLaren
9th - Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls
10th - Oliver Bearman, Haas
11th - Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull
12th - Esteban Ocon, Haas
13th - Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber
14th - Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin
15th - Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls
16th - Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber
17th - Alex Albon, Williams
18th - Pierre Gasly, Alpine
19th - Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
20th - Franco Colapinto, Alpine
ABC is set to provide live coverage of the Mexico City Grand Prix from Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez beginning at 3:55 p.m. ET this Sunday, October 26. If you have yet to begin a free trial of FuboTV, do so today and don't miss any of the action from race 20 on 24 on the 2025 Formula 1 calendar!