Sunday Debrief: It’s Back-to-Back Wins for Ferrari as Sainz Claims Victory in Mexico

Sainz takes victory in Mexico with a second consecutive win for Ferrari. Leclerc finishing in P3 with the fastest lap to extend Ferrari’s position in the championship, closing the gap between Ferrari and McLaren in the championship.

 

Qualifying

Q1 brought a big shock, with Oscar Piastri being knocked out, qualifying in P17. Piastri with only one lap to get out of Q1 after having a lap time deleted for track limits, and getting knocked out by Kevin Magnussen who shot his car up to P3. Another shock came from home hero Sergio Perez, who failed to make it out of Q1, qualifying behind Oscar Piastri in P18. Along with Piastri and Perez, Zhou, Ocon and Colapinto made their way out in Q1.

 

Image: motorsport.com

Yuki Tsunoda on a flying lap trying to make it out of Q2, getting caught in the barriers and putting an early end to the session, denying himself and his teammate Liam Lawson a chance of Q3. Bottas, Stroll and Alonso all also denied a shot of Q3.

 

Image: motorsport.com

As the session came to an end, Sainz took pole, with Verstappen coming back from P10 to join Sainz on the front row with a final flying lap after having his first lap time deleted. Norris followed behind Verstappen in P3, accompanies by Leclerc.

 

Race

Ocon started the race from the pit lane after taking a new power unit, Ocon looking notably slower over the last few weekends, while his teammate Pierre Gasly qualified in the top 10 in P8.

 

Going into turn 1, Verstappen had a better start off the line to take the lead going into turn 1, Carlos Sainz going off track and getting ahead of Verstappen out of turn 1 but giving the place back to Verstappen. Back in the midfield, Tsunoda was sent spinning after getting clipped by the Williams of Alex Albon in a tight pack, both drivers out of the grand prix and bringing out the safety car.

 

Meanwhile, Sergio Perez was under investigation for a false start, which was punished with a 5-second time penalty. Perez making up 5 places ahead of the safety car being brought out.

 

The safety car returned to the pits at the end of lap 6, the race resuming with a new leader. Verstappen getting away well but Sainz sticking to the Red Bull and staying within DRS range. Going into lap 9, Sainz made a lunge on Verstappen round the outside to move back up into the lead.

 

Lando Norris gaining confidence, thinking he could clear the Red Bull, going round the outside but getting forced off track. The pair going at it again, Verstappen braking late and running Norris off track, Norris furious over the radio and calling Verstappen “dangerous” as he reacts to avoid a crash. The stewards investigating the incident and handing Verstappen a 10-second penalty, while Norris is handed 2 track limit warnings. Verstappen getting a second penalty on lap 20 for the second incident making it a 20-second penalty.

 

It was disappointment for Fernando Alonso on a weekend celebrating his 400th Grand Prix, as he was brought in to retire his car on lap 16.

 

Perez with a time penalty already in the race, climbing up the grid on the verge of being in the points, as the Red Bull was stuck behind the sister car of the RB of Liam Lawson. The pair going wheel to wheel on lap 18, Perez getting ahead temporarily but being passed again by Lawson as they continue their fight, Perez dropping back a bit with Stroll on the back of his gearbox. Perez pitting on lap 21, dropping back into P17 and last on the grid after taking his first penalty, with threats of a second penalty for not leaving enough space for Stroll as they pair tangled on lap 19.

 

Verstappen came into the pits on lap 27, serving his 20-second penalty, the Red Bull stationary for 24 seconds, and coming out 7-seconds ahead of his teammate, on hard compound tyres.

 

Hamilton was the first of the front runners to come into the pits. Hamilton with the full upgrades for Mercedes this weekend, rejoined the track in P10 from P5. Norris pitted next, complaining that his rears were dead, Norris with a 2.3 second stop came back out in P4. Leclerc responding to Norris a lap later and coming back onto the track still in P2. Sainz being asked next to pit from the lead at the end of lap 32 and remaining in the lead as he returned to the track.

 

Colapinto being the only driver yet to pit in the race, came in on lap 49 from P9, returning to the race in P15 ahead of Perez.

 

Norris continued to gain on Leclerc getting ready to make a move on Leclerc down the straight on lap 63, but no effort was needed as Leclerc goes takes himself off track, avoiding a crash with the barrier with a lightning reaction.

 

The Mercedes behind being left to fight for position, Russell leading the Mercedes’ drivers in P4. Hamilton stuck behind his teammate, trying to clear Russell for over ten laps, Hamilton being stuck within DRS range for a majority of those laps. Hamilton’s patience paying off on lap 66 when he finally cleared his teammate with the help of DRS and breaking over a second away from Russell by the end of lap 67.

 

With only one lap left on the race, having already conceded a place to Lando Norris, Leclerc boxed on lap 70 to try and take the fastest lap, Red Bull with the same thinking, brought Perez in as well.

 

As they crossed the line, Sainz took his second victory of the season, having led 62 laps of the GP. Norris crossed the line in P2, with Verstappen in P6, bringing Norris ever closer to the championship title. Leclerc was up next to cross the line, picking up the added point from the fastest lap in the process, Perez last to cross the line but lacking the speed to snatch the point from Leclerc. Sainz becoming the first Spanish speaking driver to win in the largest Spanish speaking city in the world, while home hero Perez to the disappointment of fans only finished in P17.