Max Verstappen took victory for the 16th time this season after winning the Mexico City Grand Prix ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
The race started in chaotic fashion as home hero Sergio Perez made contact in his Red Bull with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. With Perez out of the race and Leclerc’s front wing end-plate hanging on, it wouldn’t be long before that came off the car and the virtual safety car was in place to retrieve the loose piece of the Ferrari.
Kevin Magnussen would bring out the red flag after a heavy crash into the wall following a left-rear suspension failure. After the safety car was out briefly and some drivers, including race leader Max Veratappen, dived into the pitlane, the red flag was brought out. The race would resume with a standing start.
Lando Norris, who started 16th in his McLaren, was on the charge early in the race as he tried to move into the points-paying positions with the pace his car has shown in recent races. He got past Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin just before the VSC was deployed and into 15th place. He would continue his rise up the leaderboard, ending the race in an impressive fifth place. What made this even more impressive was the fact that he dropped from 10th to 14th at the race restart. With moves on the likes of George Russell and Daniel Ricciardo, it was an impressive drive from Norris.
Daniel Ricciardo also produced one of his best weekends in Formula One in recent years, finishing in seventh place following a second-row start. With rumours circulating around the future of Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and his disappointing start to his home-race, this weekend was a real statement from Ricciardo.
The battle between Ferrari and Mercedes for second place in the Constructor’s Championship also was heating up in Mexico after Ferrari started the race on the front-row. However, it would be advantage Mercedes as Hamilton secured second but with a Ferrari 3-4, it keeps the pressure on the Brackley based team.