2200 meters above sea level, the Formula One comes back to roar among the fiery spirits of the Mexican fans. AtHermanos Rodriguez, a path characterized by one of the longest straights of the world championship, has just ended twentieth stage of the world championship. After two sprint weekends, the premier class returned to the classic format. Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz the fans cheered Ferrari giving the redhead the first row in yesterday's qualifications, but the Dutchman put the Ferrari fans' dreams to rest. Max Verstappen takes home the Mexican Grand Prix, followed by Hamilton and Leclerc.
Contact now! The landlord is out
After unexpected pole yesterday, Leclerc's departure did not go as the Monegasque would have liked. The two Red Bulls started very well, and the sixteenth found himself sandwiched at the first corner. At the braking point, Sergio Perez closed too much on Leclerc and came into contact. Three of the four wheels of Perez's RB19 went up in the air. Once he returned, the owner of the house was forced to withdraw due to a gash on the right sidepod. The Monegasque continued with the solo damage to the lateral flap of the front wing, which broke away on lap four causing a brief virtual safety car. The loss of aerodynamic load on Leclerc's SF23 fluctuates between 5 and 10 points. No penalties for drivers.
Daniel Ricciardo makes a great impression. The Australian maintained fourth position after the start, battling with Hamilton in the following laps. On lap 11, the seven-time world champion managed to overtake, a feat that was anything but obvious given the "low" top speed of the Mercedes. There was also a brawl at the back, where Magnussen overtook Tsunoda after the Japanese went wide at the first corner. Albon also puts himself on display, passing Zhou to get into the points.
Temperature question
Worried faces in Leclerc's garage. Everyone suffers from overheating problems in Mexico, but Charles' SF23 seems to be in real difficulty. The wall asks the Monegasque for lift and cost before braking to let the little horse's engine breathe. Situation resolved in the following laps.
Almost humiliating race phase for the Aston Martins. Stroll, in fifteenth position, precedes Fernando Alonso. The race leader stops on the nineteenth lap to fit the hard tyre. The Dutchman had complained about excessive degradation on the radio shortly before. Upon returning, it didn't take Max long to overtake Russell, Piastri and Ricciardo. Very tense phase for Sainz, followed closely by Hamilton who is trying everything to overtake him.
Undercut attempt on Sainz for Hamilton. Successful overtaking: Sainz returned to fourth behind Hamilton after fitting hard tyre. Leclerc also in the pits, which uses hard rubber and returns to second position, 16 seconds behind Verstappen and ahead of Hamilton by 2 and a half seconds.
Big bang in the second sector, it's a red flag
Scary moment for Kevin Magnussen on lap 33. The Dane was taking the second turn of the snake when his Haas stopped steering. The reason: the left rear suspension of his VF-23 broke. Magnussen came out a little sore, but he seems fine. Verstappen takes advantage of this and returns to the pits, returning to first position again. After the break on the 33rd, the red flag was waved for the repair of barriers.
Standing start for the restart. Verstappen and Leclerc start on yellow tyres. Hamilton instead chose the medium. Off we go Verstappen holds the top mortgaging the Mexican Grand Prix. Leclerc manages to resist Hamilton's pitfalls. Norris did badly at the restart, slipping to fourteenth position. Hamilton succeeds, overtaking Leclerc when braking of the first curve also raising some dust. Battle between Russell and Sainz, with the Englishman trying everything unsuccessfully. Third grand prix withdrawal on lap 48: Fernando Alonso gets out of the car. Sudden yellow flag at the first corner after Tsunoda spun for closing too much on Piastri.
The final stages of the race
Great overtaking by Norris in the final stages. The Englishman, after Piastri gave up his position to him, overtook Daniel Ricciardo on the outside of turn 4. A lot of effort after the restart for Leclerc. Hamilton's medium tire did not suffer the expected degradation, and the Monegasque was unable to close the gap. Norris repeats the move, this time against Russell who is annihilated by his compatriot. Contact between Bottas and Stroll in the stadium area: the Canadian then retired.
As usual, Max Verstappen takes the gold medal, winning the Mexican Grand Prix and equaling Alain Prost's victory record. Hamilton's Mercedes follows, and the two reds of Leclerc and Sainz. Norris takes fifth position in comeback after the restart. Russell is sixth ahead of Ricciardo, Piastri, Albon and Ocon. gasly he is eleventh, ahead of Tsunoda and Hulkenberg. The two Alfas are 14th and 15th, with Bottas in front. Sergeant he is sixteenth, last among those who finished the grand prix.
