Race recap: Sainz takes ‘one more win’ with Ferrari as Norris beats Verstappen after rival title battle in Mexico City

Ferrari returned to the top in Mexico City, for the second weekend in a row, as Carlos Sainz delighted fans with a dominant pole and victory at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Just behind the Spaniard, however, the action unfolded as the battle between the two rivals for the F1 title intensified, with Norris and Verstappen going wheel to wheel once again. Penalties followed for Verstappen, who saw the defending champion drop to sixth, while Norris found his 12th podium of the season, finishing ahead of Leclerc, who finished third. As for Verstappen’s teammate Perez, the local race hero had a miserable weekend, adding to Red Bull’s woes as the team continues to slide down the constructors’ standings. Here are all the highlights and what we learned from the Mexico City Grand Prix.

Sainz gets ‘one more victory’ with Ferrari in good shape

After starting the race from pole and staying clear of the chaos that erupted from the opening moments onwards, Carlos Sainz emerged victorious before a sea of ​​admirers in Mexico City.

By taking his second victory of the season, Sainz continues Ferrari’s winning streak, following his and teammate Charles Leclerc’s double in Austin.

“Thank you Mexico!” Sainz said after the race, smiling. “It’s amazing to see this crowd, I’ve felt their support all week. I feel like I have a lot of fans here in Mexico and they gave me a lot of strength to get through the weekend that I did.”

“I really wanted this, I really needed it for myself too, I wanted to do it,” Sainz said after the race. “I’ve been saying for a while that I wanted one more win before leaving Ferrari and to do it here in front of this great crowd is incredible.”

Before Mexico City, Sainz already had three previous wins to his name, but this is the first time he has won twice in a single season, after Australia earlier this year.

“Now that there are four races left (before moving on to Williams), I want to enjoy it as much as possible and if another one comes, I will do it!”

As for his teammate Leclerc, the Monegasque driver did not enjoy the race in the same way, but he still got on the podium with a third position.

“I’ve been a bit on the defensive all weekend, so third place was the best I could achieve today on my part,” Leclerc reasoned after the race. “(It was) an amazing race for Carlos today, and overall it’s a good weekend for the team, which is positive.”

With another strong haul of points this weekend, Ferrari moves above Red Bull into second place in the constructors’ standings, just 29 points behind leader McLaren.

“We are working very well as a team,” Leclerc said. “I think it’s been quite a few races since we’re getting back to the level we should be at. It’s amazing to see.”

“Obviously the constructors’ goal is still our goal and with weekends like this we are getting closer to it. I hope we can continue in that direction and win the constructors’ title, which is very important.”

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Norris wins as title rivals fight again

Once again, immediately after a heated race in Austin, both Lando Norris and McLaren’s Max Verstappen clashed in dramatic fashion at Mexico’s Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.

The pair went wheel to wheel on the outside of Turn 4 on lap 10, when Norris was forced to go wide for the reigning world champion. Shortly after, the Briton cut the grass at Turn 5 and rejoined ahead of Verstappen, before the Dutchman attempted to regain position on the inside of Turn 8.

When Verstappen and Norris swerved on the second lap, Charles Leclerc slipped away while stewards investigated Norris and Verstappen’s off-track excursions.

Finding Verstappen to be both at fault, the Red Bull driver received two 10-second penalties, which he served in the pits, while Norris continued, finishing the race second.

“I knew what to expect,” the Briton said of his battle with Verstappen after the race. “In my opinion, it’s not a very clean drive. But I avoided it and it was a good race.”

Continuing to reduce Verstappen’s lead in the championship, Norris is just 47 points behind the Dutchman after Mexico City. With 12 podiums to his name this season, Norris appears to be enjoying his time near the top, with the thought of his first championship title never far from his mind.

“I just keep my head down, you know? I’m doing the best I can. We’re doing a really good job as a team,” he said after the race.

“I think today we were probably the fastest at the end. But we’ll keep our heads down, that’s all I can do for now, focus on ourselves and we’ll keep pushing.”

While Verstappen’s men were right with two 10-second time penalties

Two 10-second penalties hurt Max Verstappen’s race in Mexico City, dropping the Dutch driver to sixth overall.

The reigning champion held the lead at the start of the race, before Carlos Sainz regained it on lap 9, pushing Verstappen into the path of his biggest rival, Lando Norris, who was fighting for second place.

Trying to overtake at Turn 4, Verstappen forced Norris wide, cutting the grass in the process, while both drivers had an off-track moment at Turn 8, leaving the door open for Charles Leclerc to pass.

Verstappen received his first 10-second penalty for forcing Norris off the track at Turn 4, and then received another a few laps later for leaving the track and gaining a lead at Turn 8, bringing his total to 20. seconds, completed during his pit stop.

“Honestly, that wasn’t my biggest problem of the race either, my biggest problem was that we just didn’t have the pace,” Verstappen said after the race. “I just suffered a lot with the tyres, I couldn’t really attack and I couldn’t follow Ferrari and McLaren.”

For much of the season, Verstappen has commented on his car’s lack of competitiveness, as he and Red Bull continue to lose control of both championship titles.

Verstappen continues to lead the drivers’ standings, although with only 47 points between him and Lando Norris. For the team, the result in Mexico sees Red Bull fall further in the constructors’ championship, with Ferrari moving into second place with just four races remaining.

Scuff returns race hero Pérez to Mexico City

After a difficult qualifying, which saw Perez line up 18th on the grid for his home race, things would only go from bad to worse for the Mexican Red Bull driver.

When the lights went out, Perez was deemed to have made a false start, giving him a five-second penalty in the early stages of the race.

Keeping his head high, the Mexican battled through traffic, closing in on the points, where he battled with RB driver Liam Lawson for tenth position. After passing in Turn 4, Lawson forced Perez to go wide, and the two continued to duel into Turn 5.

Pérez suffered damage to his sidepod after wear and tear with Lawson’s wheel and struggled for the rest of the race, finishing 17th overall.

“It took away the whole side of the car, but I don’t think it’s his fault because he doesn’t get any penalties,” Perez complained after the race.

“He did the same to Fernando (Alonso) last weekend, he did the same to Franco (Colapinto) at the end of the race and without penalty, so maybe it depends on who you are (in terms of) the penalty that you receive.

“I was ahead, there was no need to join up at that time. It was lap 11 of the race, compromising our race, both of us. I don’t think it was a very smart move.”

The incident followed a major shock for Yuki Tsunoda, who crashed into the barriers after catching the wheel of Williams’ Alex Albon in the pack on the starting straight just seconds after the lights went out.

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The exciting 2024 season is coming to a close with only four races remaining this year. But don’t worry, 2025 is just around the corner and tickets for July’s British Grand Prix are on sale. on sale now.