Formula 1 Mexico Grand Prix - Mexico City 2024
STARTING GRID:
1) SAINZ 2) VERSTAPPEN 3) NORRIS 4) LECLERC 5) RUSSELL 6) HAMILTON 7) MAGNUSSEN 8) GASLY 9) ALBON 10) HULKENBERG 11) TSUNODA 12) LAWSON 13) ALONSO 14) STROLL 15) BOTTAS 16) COLAPINTO 17) PIASTRI 18) PEREZ 19) GUANYA 20) OCON
LAP 1: Five lights on, off they go! Almost 700 metres to the first corner, with a straight drag race after the initial lift off. Max Verstappen gets the best start as he gets up the inside to take the lead. Carlos Sainz cuts turn 2 and retakes the lead but has to give the place back due to gaining the advantage off the track.
Meanwhile, behind the front runners the RB of Yuki Tsunoda goes spinning round after contact with the Williams of Alex Albon. Both drivers out of the race as the Safety Car was deployed before the end of the first lap.
A great start for Perez who gains five places to 13th. A much needed start for the home hero at this circuit. However, a 5 second penalty for the Mexican as he was past the start line on his grid position before the start of the race.
LAP 6/7: The Safety Car ends and we are back underway. Verstappen manages to get away well in the restart but the slip stream benefits the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz behind him. Close to looking up the inside before thinking twice and staying behind Max.
Lando Norris then needed to look in his mirrors at the other Ferrari who was just a couple of tenths behind him before getting more distance before the end of lap 7. Verstappen looks to get beyond a second of Sainz to break any possible DRS he may get.
LAP 9: The DRS is open for Carlos Sainz as he gains and gains on the Red Bull before making a lunge on the inside of turn 1. He maintains the place with the help of the DRS in 2 zones from the detection zone at the start of the lap. A great and opportunistic move from the Spanish driver!
LAP 10: A battle for 2nd as Norris is gaining on the Dutchman who is on his team radio saying “what can I do with an empty battery? What is this stupid mode?” Into turn 4 Norris tries a daring move around the outside of his championship rival but is forced off the track and cut corners 4 and 5.
The battle continues with Norris taking 2nd for the time being before Max goes up the inside and leads both of them off the track. A second week running that the competitors have clashed and forced each other off the track.
The main beneficiary of the battle being Charles Leclerc who goes into second place with both ahead of him off the track. Ferrari now with a 1-2 on the cars if they can maintain their positions for the duration of the race.
Lando Norris complained on his team radio saying he was forced off the track when ahead for the entire corner. The McLaren pit wall responded saying they are on it.
LAP 12: Race Control confirms that they are investigating the turn 8 incident between cars 4 (Norris) and 1 (Verstappen). As well as investigating the incident for forcing another driver off the track between the 2 drivers in the corners before.
In the meantime, Sergio Perez passes an Aston Martin as he goes into 11th place as the cheers are heard from the home fans. A 5 second penalty is still hanging over Perez but does not stop the support from the Mexican fans.
LAP 14/15: A 10 second time penalty handed to him for the turn 8 incident with Lando Norris. Both Red Bull drivers with time penalties to contend with just 14 laps into the race.
Both Mercedes drivers in a battle of their own, with Russell applying pressure to his teammate with only a few races to go before Hamilton leaves to join Ferrari. At the start of lap 15, Russell goes ahead of Hamilton who defends fairly hard on the inside to make it as difficult as possible for his teammate to get past.
LAP 16: Fernando Alonso retires from the race. An unfortunate end to his 400th Grand Prix weekend for the 2x World Champion.
LAP 18/19: The duels continue around the track, this time with Perez trying to get past Liam Lawson from the Red Bull sister team. With the home fans cheering him on he seems to get the move done before Lawson battles back and maintains his position.
Possibly thinking to show his defending skills to the Red Bull hierarchy and why he should be in a Red Bull seat next year. Perez then backed up into Lance Stroll as he defended strongly against the Canadian as he had experienced just one lap earlier. Also on the radio to call Lawson an “idiot” to express his views on the incident.
LAP 20: Just as the lap begins, Max Verstappen is given another 10 second time penalty. Which could be costly for not just Verstappen but for Red Bull as a combined 25 seconds in time penalties for the team could affect them in the Constructors and Drivers Championship.
LAP 21: Two young drivers of the grid in Franco Colapinto and Oscar Piastri show their great and fair driving skills against one another. Piastri gets through on the inside into turn 2 and keeps the place, keeping his place with expert car positioning.
LAP 27: Max Verstappen serves his 20 second time penalty and puts on new hard compound tires. This takes him to P15 with a lot of work to do to get a good haul of points which could be crucial for the end of the season.
LAP 31: Lando Norris comes into the pits and comes back out into 4th. Verstappen is making his way through from overtakes and pit stops from those ahead. He is now up to 10th place and will continue to gain as others pit ahead of him.
LAP 33: The two Mercedes behind Liam Lawson and Oscar Pistari who are yet to pit. However, that could hamper the Silver Arrows as they look to maximise their pace ahead of Max Verstappen. George gets the move done on both ahead of him but lets his frustrations known to his team.
LAP 34: Liam Lawson under pressure from Piastri and Hamilton at the start of the lap. He eventually loses two places in as many corners with some neat driving from both the Mercedes and McLaren drivers.
LAP 40: The McLaren of Oscar Piastri comes into the pits. An excellent job on the medium tyres from the start of the race and maintaining being in the top 10 throughout. However, surprising that he was not used to try and hold up Max Verstappen for the team even if he may have gotten past fairly easily.
LAP 51/52: Lewis Hamilton once again is up against his teammate they duel for 4th place. He tries to get as close as possible for an overtake but is unable to find an opening at this stage. As the driver replacing him, 18 year old Kimi Antonelli watches on behind Toto Wolff in the Mercedes garage.
LAP 56: Lewis Hamilton possibly beginning to be frustrated as he stays behind his teammate and can’t seem to find a way past.
Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri makes a move on Nico Hulkenberg as he moves up to P8. With his teammate Lando Norris appearing to be making good ground on Charles Leclerc in the race for 2nd.
LAP 62: A gap of just over 6 tenths as Norris and Leclerc head into the Stadium Section of the lap. As they come out of the final corner, Charles Leclerc has a moment and swerves off the track but avoids the barriers! Lando Norris goes through to take 2nd as he will not get an easier overtake than that.
Charles makes a mistake that costs him dearly, but a lightning fast reaction from the man from Monaco saves the car from going into the barriers and being a disaster for Ferrari.
LAP 66/67: Battling continues between both Mercedes drivers as Hamilton continues to try to get past Russell to no ovale. Eventually, making the move into the first corner of lap 67 as he goes round the outside of George and makes the move stick as he has been trying to do for over 10 laps.
Colpapinto and Lawson collide into the first couple of corners as the Williams driver tries to get ahead. Eventually doing so but collecting some of the front wing of the Aussie driver as he barges his way through.
LAP 71: A faultless and brilliant drive from Carlos Sainz! A fourth career win for the Spanish driver. A team radio message saying that it was a “masterclass” of a drive. A drive his father, Carlos Sainz Sr would be proud of as he watches from the Ferrari pit garage. Looking very proud of his sons accomplishment and effort in the race.
Lando Norris comes home to take 2nd with Charles Leclerc 3rd and an extra point for the fastest lap which may be needed come the end of the season for the Constructors standings. A last ditch attempt by Red Bull and Sergio Perez to take the fastest lap ended up being unsuccessful for the home favourite.
RACE RESULTS:
1) SAINZ 2) NORRIS 3) LECLERC 4) HAMILTON 5) RUSSELL 6) VERSTAPPEN 7) MAGNUSSEN 8) PIASTRI 9) HULKENBERG 10) GASLY 11) STROLL 12) COLAPINTO 13) OCON 14) BOTTAS 15) GUANYU 16) LAWSON 17) PEREZ 18) ALONSO (DNF) 19) ALBON (DNF) 20) TSUNODA (DNF)
