Rankings : Ricciardo and AlphaTauri’s impressive performance
For only his second Grand Prix since his wrist fracture, Daniel Ricciardo brought joy to his team by securing a 7th position, their best result this season. The atmosphere is more gloomy on Fernando Alonso's side as he continues to lose ground in the drivers' standings.
For the sixth time this season, Lewis Hamilton finished on the podium. This new good result allows him to get closer, just 20 points behind Sergio Perez. The Mexican had another setback at home, colliding with Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari right at the first corner. Lacking confidence in his driving and his car, the second place of the Red Bull driver is more threatened than ever by the seven-time world champion. A new crack could appear in Brazil, where Toto Wolff expects a good race from his team.
Starting fourth on the grid, Daniel Ricciardo was unable to stay in the Top 5. However, his seventh position allows his team to achieve their best result this season. The altitude in Mexico has been a breath of fresh air for AlphaTauri. They finally escape from the position of the last place team. The Italian team is now eighth with 16 points, tied with Alfa Romeo but ahead due to having the advantage of the best result. The Australian leaves his predecessor, Nyck De Vries, as the only driver this year who hasn’t scored any points. Ricciardo is now only two points behind Yuki Tsunoda. Due to his accident with Oscar Piastri, the Japanese driver only finished in 12th position and did not contribute to his team’s success.
The end of the season is looking particularly long for Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard hasn’t finished a race among the top five since his podium finish in the Netherlands. For the second consecutive time, the Aston Martin driver retired prematurely in his garage. While Alonso had been achieving podium finishes at the beginning of the season, he now seems destined to linger at the back of the pack for these last Grand Prix races. This poor performance has allowed Carlos Sainz to catch up to him in the driver’s standings. The two compatriots are now tied in points.
