Max Verstappen had clean swept all of the practice sessions, as the high altitude neutralised a lot of the engine advantage that Mercedes and Ferrari possessed.
But when the crunch situation came, Ricciardo was the one who dug deep and managed to outpace everyone on the grid to secure pole position for the Mexico GP.
Verstappen managed to secure a front row place, with Hamilton and Vettel slotting in behind them.
It was an enthralling qualifying session, wherein it was certain that Red Bull were faster than Mercedes and Ferrari, but they would be ecstatic that they could manage a 1-2 for raceday here in Mexico.
Ricciardo has cut a frustrating figure all this season, as Red Bull and especially Ricciardo have experienced a lot of reliability issues.
But today it was all about Red Bull, and while the practice sessions belonged to Max, when it mattered, Ricciardo stepped up and delivered big time.
Check out the reactions:
Hamilton would be happy that Vettel is behind on the grid, something that gives him a little breathing space going into the race tomorrow. A 7th place finish should be enough to hand the championship to him and he’ll be trying his best to stay clear of any unwanted hazards tomorrow and certainly hope that the car does not have any reliability issues.
Ricciardo was an ecstatic man and would hope to finish off his Red Bull career on a high with a win in Mexico tomorrow.
