Verstappen happy with eighth in qualifying in Mexico

Toro Rosso driver Max Verstappen says he was ‘very happy’ with eighth in qualifying for the Mexican Grand Prix at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.

Verstappen continues to impress in his debut Formula One season and qualified a respectable eighth, ahead of the Force India duo and teammate Carlos Sainz, who failed to progress into Q3.

“I’m very happy with P8! It wasn’t an easy qualifying for me today, especially after missing FP2 yesterday and struggling a bit this morning in FP3. I’m very happy with today’s performance and it’s nice to be in front of both Force Indias.

Verstappen is hoping for rain as Toro Rosso usually perform well in wet conditions. Additionally, the Dutchman praised the circuit and amount of fans which have turned up this weekend.

“Tomorrow’s race will be exciting. It looks like it could rain, and that would be great news for us, as our car is very good in the wet. I like this track, and it’s very special to see so many fans in the grandstands, they are very passionate and you can really feel their support, especially when you come into the stadium section, it’s very cool! Hopefully we can put on a good show for them tomorrow.”