The main talking points from a tight qualifying session in Mexico, where Daniel Ricciardo denied Max Verstappen at the death with a sensational lap to take pole position for the Mexican Grand Prix.

Shock: Since winning the Monaco Grand Prix back in May, Daniel Ricciardo has not finished on the podium, and he has been convincingly outperformed by teammate Max Verstappen. Throughout the weekend in Mexico, Verstappen has been the man to beat, topping all three practice sessions. The Dutchman looked on course to become F1's youngest pole sitter after the first runs in Q3 setting another new track record that put him nearly 0.2s ahead of the rest of the field, but out of nowhere, Ricciardo found 0.3s on his final run to claim a third career pole position.

Ricciardo makes the move to Renault at the end of the season, and while his form in recent months hasn't been at the level we've become accustomed to in recent years, his performance today shows what a driver he still is and a major asset Red Bull is losing in 2019.

Shocker: Seeing both Haas cars knocked out of Q1 was a surprise given the strong pace shown by Sauber -- who also run Ferrari engines. Romain Grosjean could only manage 16th, while Kevin Magnussen was only 18th, behind the McLaren of Stoffel Vandoorne. With the Renaults performing strongly and set to start tomorrow's race from seventh and eighth, fourth in the constructors' championship looks to be a pipe dream for the American team.

Max misses out on the record: With Red Bull expected to be less competitive at the final two rounds in Brazil and Abu Dhabi, Mexico was Verstappen's last realistic chance to break Vettel's record of being F1's youngest pole sitter. The German currently holds the record at 21 years and 72 days -- having taken pole at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix while driving for Toro Rosso.

Ricciardo and Horner celebrate in parc ferme following qualifying. Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Lewis in prime position: While Hamilton was unable to score Mercedes' 100th pole position in F1, the champion-elect is in the prime position for Sunday's race, and on course, to secure his fifth world title. The Briton starts from third, a place ahead of title rival Sebastian Vettel, and with the run down to Turn 1, the longest of any circuit on the calendar, Hamilton has a good chance of slipstreaming the Red Bulls on the first lap in a bid to take the lead.

All he needs is a P7, but surely Hamilton will want to score yet another victory as he looks to close on Michael Schumacher's record tally of 91.

Force India's Q2 gamble: Esteban Ocon's radio message at the end of Q2 confirmed Force India's preference not to qualify inside the top ten: "Good job -- that's what we targeted, right?" Force India opted not to use the hyper-soft in Q2 -- running on the super-soft then the ultra-soft in the second qualifying segment in a bid to qualify 11th -- which it did with Ocon. Force India will now be able to start its drivers on the more durable compound, whereas its midfield rivals in Renault and Sauber will be forced to start on the less durable hyper-soft.

First corner watch: The long run down to Turn 1 means the opening lap will surely be a dramatic one. Vettel and Hamilton came to blows on the opening lap of last year's race in Mexico, and with the Red Bulls on the front row, with the two title contenders just behind, Turn 1 on Sunday could be the best of the year so far.