Bottas and team-mate Zhou Guanyu both made Q3 and qualified ninth and 10th, putting them in a strong position to score crucial points in the tight battle amongst the four teams at the bottom of the constructors’ championship.
The Finn showed good pace throughout the weekend, earning fourth place in FP2 on Friday, and then sailed through the first two parts of qualifying in fifth and seventh.
The 10-time F1 grand prix winner was actually disappointed with the final run that led to his ninth place on the grid, but it was the team’s best qualifying result since another outlier performance in Hungary, where Zhou and Bottas started fifth and seventh.
“I think coming into this weekend, I was always expecting more than from Austin,” said Bottas. “It seems like since the first practice we've been within top 10 all weekend in terms of pace.
“That's why it's really good to get both cars in Q3, and only a little bit annoying thing today was on my last lap, I had a bit of a lockup in the last sector, so there was a bit of time lost. But still, we take this result because it allows us to fight for some good points.”
Asked why the car was so competitive in Mexico he said: “I think this track is just the kind of slow speed nature, it still fits our car a bit better.
Source: Autosport