Mexico – Race: Rosberg Still Standing

For the first time in over two decades, Formula 1 returned to Mexico. Finally! One might be tempted to say, given that the support from the crowd, which showed up in great numbers as early as Friday, was undoubtedly the most impressive of the season. The crowd favorite was, of course, Sergio Perez, the only local driver to start the race… The Force India driver could feel as much pressure as pride in front of such support.

On the track, the temperature was approaching 55°C, a record this weekend. Enough to test the brakes, or even call into question the one-stop strategy adopted by most engineers? The situation promised to be enticing… Similarly, the long straight after the start (1.2 km) promised slipstreaming between teammates, like, for example, between Nico Rosberg, the pole sitter, and Lewis Hamilton, the world champion.

It should be noted that the last three on the grid (three world champions… penalized for engine changes), Alonso, Räikkönen, and Button were the only ones starting on medium tires.

This time, Nico Rosberg managed to hold onto his first place at the first corner! Lewis Hamilton had a poorer start. Everything fell apart for Sebastian Vettel, who suffered a puncture after a collision with Daniel Ricciardo. The German came into the pits, beginning a comeback race for him… Fernando Alonso, once again let down by his Honda power unit, had to retire early. In frustration, he threw down his gloves.

LAP 1/71: Rosberg gets a good start and holds off Hamilton…Vettel down to last place after a puncture #MexicoGP pic.twitter.com/ujKau54xGU

— Formula 1 (@F1) 1 Novembre 2015

In the 5th lap, the top 5 was as follows: Rosberg, Hamilton, Kvyat, Ricciardo, Bottas. The Toro Rosso boys were off to a good start once again (Verstappen 6th, Sainz 8th).

The brake temperature on this scorching high-altitude track was a thorny issue for most drivers. By the 4th lap, Kimi Räikkönen, battling mid-pack, was advised to be a little more gentle with his car. Lewis Hamilton could still be seen slightly shifting his position relative to Nico Rosberg to cool down his car.

From the 9th lap, Valtteri Bottas stopped at the pits. The Finn was stuck behind Max Verstappen and was probably aiming for the undercut… He would therefore either complete the rest of the race on mediums or stop a second time. One lap later, Nico Hülkenberg and Felipe Massa made the same choices. All these cars could rely on solid top speed…

SPEED TRAP (LAP 8/71): Both @WilliamsRacing flying… @MassaFelipe19 clocking 227 mph #MexicoGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/jKJWTOd8wv

— Formula 1 (@F1) 1 Novembre 2015

The two Ferraris, meanwhile, continued making their way up the field. Kimi Räikkönen had already entered the top 10, while Sebastian Vettel was quickly closing in on Carlos Sainz to contest the 12th place. The German could have regrets: he was keeping the same pace as the Mercedes cars… The Silver Arrows, by the way, were still comfortably in the lead; Nico Rosberg, rather in good form, managed to keep his teammate more than one and a half seconds behind.

On the 15th lap, the top five were as follows: Rosberg, Hamilton, Kvyat, Ricciardo, Verstappen.

Visibly too aggressive, Sebastian Vettel spun out on the eighteenth lap. The four-time world champion had entered a left-hand curve far too quickly… and once again had to make up for lost time. The skid caused a flat spot on one of the German’s tires, which he noticed immediately. But having already pitted early in the race, another stop was out of the question… In short, a race to forget for him.

LAP 18/71: First a puncture, now a spin for Sebastian Vettel – just as he was flying through the field #MexicoGP pic.twitter.com/CF4ibGFMTp

— Formula 1 (@F1) 1 Novembre 2015

On the 22nd lap, Finland suddenly plunged into the turmoil of civil war. Like in Russia, Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Räikkönen clashed. For the Ferrari driver, who had come within 20 seconds of the third place, Daniil Kvyat, the race was over. Who was to blame? Difficult to say… Valtteri Bottas wanted to overtake Kimi Räikkönen in a new daring maneuver, but Kimi Räikkönen didn’t leave him any room either… This new race incident was as dramatic as it was unexpected.

YELLOW FLAG…

C’est encore Räikkönen et Bottas…

#MexicoGP pic.twitter.com/AoRh5L7jRs — Formula 1 (@F1) 1 November 2015

A few laps later, trouble continued for Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel… Still on the attack after his two mishaps, the German was stuck behind Pastor Maldonado’s Lotus. He went on the inside… but arriving too quickly, he had to go off-track a bit and allowed the Venezuelan to regain a few seconds’ lead. His Ferrari was devilishly competitive that day. What a shame!

At the 30th lap, the top 5 were as follows: Rosberg, Hamilton, Kvyat, Bottas, Massa. Nico Rosberg, the pole sitter, maintained a lead of three seconds over his teammate. Daniil Kvyat had built a gap of nearly seven seconds over Daniel Ricciardo and impressed the observers.

In the battle with Sergio Perez to maintain his 9th place, Carlos Sainz missed his braking point and went straight on, cutting across the grass. With this maneuver, the young Spaniard gained a few seconds, much to the bewilderment of the local hero… However, the Toro Rosso driver, not eager to receive a five-second penalty, subsequently let Sergio Perez pass in the magnificent stadium section of the circuit. This was naturally followed by a fierce cheer from the stands.

Upon reaching the fortieth lap, Sebastian Vettel, like Daniel Ricciardo, mentioned the presence of debris on the track. The German, a lap behind the Mercedes, like the Australian, distanced by his teammate, had of course only safety in mind and not the Safety Car.

Among the battles to watch in this rather calm Grand Prix, one should not miss the Red Bull – Williams and Force India – Toro Rosso fights. Valtteri Bottas was only two seconds behind Daniil Kvyat, while Sergio Perez, 9th as he started, was trying to catch up with Max Verstappen.

At the 45th lap, the top 5 were as follows: Rosberg, Hamilton, Kvyat, Bottas, Massa.

LAP CHART (LAP 40/71): @LewisHamilton & @nico_rosberg exchange XX – who said there’s no love lost between them, eh?! pic.twitter.com/PgGFPYX7nz

— Formula 1 (@F1) 1 Novembre 2015

On lap 47, Nico Rosberg was brought in by his team to unexpectedly switch to medium tires. The wear on his tires had already been an issue during the first stint. Mercedes was therefore opting for a two-stop strategy. However, Lewis Hamilton did not want to stop a second time, aware of the advantage he had gained over his teammate. After some hesitation, although visibly displeased, he eventually complied, convinced by his race engineer that it was a matter of safety…

The Williams drivers, who had pitted at the start of the Grand Prix, had nonetheless stuck to a one-stop strategy. This clearly did not work well for Felipe Massa, who was struggling with his tires and was forced to give up his 5th place to Daniel Ricciardo. Further down the standings, Max Verstappen, in 8th, faltered somewhat at the stadium entrance, thus opening the door for Sergio Perez.

At the 52nd lap, the ordeal continued in full force for Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari! The German had wished for a Safety Car, but in the end, it was him who caused it… Vettel once again went off at turn number 7, this time crashing quite violently with his Ferrari. The Scuderia would leave Mexico with a score of zero.

The Safety Car disrupted the teams’ strategies. Most drivers pitted. Massa was called in, but not Bottas, even though his tires were struggling. Sergio Perez, who stopped much later in the race, also chose to stay on the track. This seemed to be a bad choice, as like Bottas, the Mexican, who was also stuck behind Nico Hülkenberg, was the only one in the top 10 still on soft tires. Meanwhile, Nico Rosberg’s three-second lead was reduced to nothing, and Daniil Kvyat, third on soft tires while the Mercedes remained on mediums, could even become a threat.

AUSTRALIA, 2006: The last time both Ferraris failed to finish in the same race #MexicoGP pic.twitter.com/bC7sOMSnhE

— Formula 1 (@F1) 1 Novembre 2015

At the restart, Nico Rosberg, being too cautious, allowed Lewis Hamilton to catch up. The battle for victory was shaping up to be tense… Just like in Austin, Nico Rosberg was under pressure… and he almost cracked! The German went slightly off track at a turn but managed to maintain the lead this time. Meanwhile, Valtteri Bottas took advantage of his engine power to overtake Daniil Kvyat and secure third place, despite his more worn tires.

The brakes on Felipe Nasr’s Sauber visibly couldn’t withstand the pace of the restart: the Brazilian found an escape route to watch a tense race finish.

At the 60th lap, eleven laps before the checkered flag, the top 5 was: Rosberg, Hamilton, Bottas, Kvyat, Ricciardo.

WILLIAMS TO MASSA: “Both these Red Bulls are vulnerable” #MexicoGP pic.twitter.com/fXatd1KJ6s

— Formula 1 (@F1) 1 Novembre 2015

However, Nico Rosberg maintained a lead all the way to the end, built from the first second of the race: the German therefore secured a fully deserved victory after managing the Hamilton situation. Morally, this success was invaluable.

Finally 3rd despite a collision with Kimi Räikkönen and more worn tires, Valtteri Bottas could greatly satisfy himself with an unexpected podium. Felipe Massa could not overtake the two Red Bulls and thus finished in 6th place. Sergio Perez concluded his home Grand Prix behind his teammate Nico Hülkenberg, in 8th place. Max Verstappen, 9th, once again scored points. Finally, Romain Grosjean delivered a strong resistance in the final meters of the race against Pastor Maldonado to secure the point for tenth place.

BREAKING: Nico Rosberg wins the #MexicoGP ahead of Lewis Hamilton (P2) and Valtteri Bottas (P3) pic.twitter.com/pvBwHzmQPC

— Formula 1 (@F1) 1 Novembre 2015

N°	Driver	Team	Times	Gap	Laps
1	Rosberg	Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team	1h42m35.038s		71
2	Hamilton	Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team		+1.954
3	Bottas	Williams Martini Racing		+14.592
4	Kvyat	Infiniti Red Bull Racing		+16.578
5	Ricciardo	Infiniti Red Bull Racing		+19.682
6	Massa	Williams Martini Racing		+21.493
7	Hülkenberg	Sahara Force India F1 Team		+25.860
8	Perez	Sahara Force India F1 Team		+34.343
9	Verstappen	Scuderia Toro Rosso		+35.229
10	Grosjean	Lotus F1 Team		+37.934
11	Maldonado	Lotus F1 Team		+38.538
12	Ericsson	Sauber F1 Team		+40.180
13	Sainz Jr.	Scuderia Toro Rosso		+48.772
14	Button	McLaren Honda		+49.214
15	Rossi	Manor Marussia F1		+2 laps
16	Stevens	Manor Marussia F1		+2 laps
17	Nasr	Sauber F1 Team		+	Ab.
18	Vettel	Scuderia Ferrari		+	Ab.
19	Räikkönen	Scuderia Ferrari		+	Ab.
20	Alonso	McLaren Honda		+	Ab.