Mexico Grand Prix: Victory for Sainz who takes advantage of the intense battles between Norris and Verstappen

Under the clouds, the conditions are cooler than since the beginning of the weekend in Mexico with a track around 31 degrees compared to over 40 degrees on Friday. In these conditions, teams have sometimes reduced certain cooling appendages on the engine covers.

Note that all the drivers are on the grid except Esteban Ocon (Alpine) who, after having a new battery installed in his car, will start from the pit lane.

Max Verstappen takes the lead before the safety car comes in.

In pole position, Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) gets off to a slower start than Max Verstappen beside him. The Red Bull driver, despite his position on the dirty side of the track, manages to take the inside line and takes the lead of the race right from the first corner.

The start is very eventful in the peloton with a collision at the end of the straight line between Yuki Tsunoda and Alex Albon. The right rear suspension of the Racing Bulls breaks and the Japanese driver is thrown into the wall. He ends up in the gravel trap, just like Alex Albon who also has to retire.

Alex Albon found himself sandwiched between Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda and could do nothing to avoid the accident. The safety car will therefore return to the track to evacuate the two cars.

Max Verstappen loses two positions and receives a heavy penalty

When the safety car enters the pit lane, Max Verstappen takes the best start against his pursuers. However, without DRS, the Red Bull fails to pull away and Carlos Sainz perfectly uses the slipstream on the long straight of this Mexican circuit. Diving perfectly into turn 1, the Ferrari takes the lead again and even manages to create a gap with the Red Bull.

Max Verstappen is even overtaken by Lando Norris, who manages to get back level with him at corner 4. While discussions are ongoing to define how to defend without exceeding track limits, the debate will continue in the coming days.

To defend against Lando Norris, Max Verstappen stays on the inside and even though the McLaren is next to him, he releases the brakes and defends by forcing Lando Norris off the track but the McLaren driver decides to cut through and comes out ahead at turn 5. Max Verstappen then decides to overtake Norris again at turns 7-8 by braking very late, thus failing to take the corner and letting Norris also run wide.

This very aggressive move allows Charles Leclerc to overtake both drivers at once and take second place.

The FIA will judge the action against Max Verstappen and therefore impose a 10-second penalty on the Red Bull driver for each action, for a total of 20 seconds during his pit stop.

While the championship is not yet decided, Max Verstappen ultimately finishes 6th, losing significant points to Norris in the standings. The McLaren driver is now 47 points behind, with 128 points still to be distributed.

Alonso’s withdrawal for his 400th Grand Prix

The history books will remember that Fernando Alonso did not finish his 400th Grand Prix. While celebrating an extraordinary milestone in Formula 1 this weekend, Fernando Alonso, who was ill at the beginning of the week, had an unlucky race with an engine problem in lap 15, forcing him to retire.

Sergio Perez acclaimed by his audience but out of the game

The local driver is the darling of the public. A real star here in Mexico, Perez feels the fervor of his fans but undoubtedly also the pressure from his management. At the start, the Red Bull driver positions himself too far, outside the placement zone on the grid, and is penalized for poor positioning. Despite a good start, the Mexican is penalized for 5 seconds. On lap 20, as he tries to move up one by one, he fights with Liam Lawson for 10th place, a driver from the sister team of Red Bull, Racing Bulls.

The two drivers are competitors and Liam Lawson is a candidate for a full-time driver position at Red Bull next year. Therefore, it is crucial for Perez to finish ahead. However, during his overtaking maneuver, he pushes Lawson wide off the track and the two men make slight contact, damaging the floor of Perez.

Slowed down by his aerodynamic problems and a penalty, Sergio Perez will finish the race in 17th and last position at the end of his home Grand Prix.

A new Ferrari victory

With Carlos Sainz’s strong performance in qualifying and the on-track battle between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, it is Ferrari that benefits and secures another victory. Long-time second, Charles Leclerc had to give up his position on lap 63 to the McLaren due to a mistake that could have turned into a disaster. Leclerc lost the rear of his car when he accelerated again in the final corner and went wide. He still managed not to hit the wall, but Lando Norris took advantage to pass him. With 10 laps remaining, the Monegasque driver will not be able to pass the McLaren again and will eventually finish in third place.

This double podium for Ferrari allows the Italian manufacturer to surpass Red Bull in the standings and make up some ground on McLaren.

The classification of the Mexican Grand Prix of F1 2024