The flying Mexican and Max Verstappen’s sweet sixteenth victory: All the Mexico City GP

Lights Out

From the get-go, the spotlight was on Max Verstappen. Famous for converting Charles Leclerc’s poles into race wins for himself, we knew this race wasn’t going to be boring. Seizing an opening from third, he weaved ahead of Leclerc into Turn 1, setting the pace for the rest of the race. 

Yet, as Mexico's fervent crowd cheered, their hopes dimmed early: a skirmish between Leclerc and home hero Sergio Perez dashed the latter's race dreams. The two collided such that Perez literally flew over the Ferrari, and straight to the back of the field. The Red Bull mechanics tried their best to get him back on the field, but to no avail.

Track Tactics

Pit stops started as early as Lap 14 with Yuki Tsunoda going first. Next was Max Verstappen at Lap 20. This resulted in him dropping to P7, but not for too long. He is Max, afterall.  

Come Lap 33, the race came to a standstill. Kevin Magnussen crashed his Haas into the barrier at Turn 8, and out came the red flags. 

When the race sprang back to life, Verstappen stayed where he started. Lewis Hamilton, not to be outdone, artfully overtook Leclerc and clinched the coveted second spot. Perhaps a sign for him finishing P2 in the Drivers’ Standings as well? 

Meanwhile, Lando Norris was the name on everyone's lips. He weaved through the grid from a 17th place start, eventually seizing 5th position by the race end. As the laps wore on, Norris overtook rivals with surgical precision, most notably beating his former teammate, Daniel Ricciardo. George Russell, representing Mercedes, valiantly defended his position, eventually settling for 6th after an intense battle with Norris.

Chequered Flag

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc rounded off our podium, as Carlos Sainz, Lando Norris, George Russell, Daniel Ricciardo, Oscar Piastri, Alexander Albon and Esteban Ocon made our top 10. 

The race wasn’t one without losses though. We had 5 DNFs - Sergio Perez, Fernando Alonso, Kevin Magnussen, Lance Stroll and Logan Sargaent. A day to forget, for Aston Martin.