Pole and victory for Sainz in Mexico. Norris advances and dreams of a world championship
Bad Verstappen, off the podium because of his mistakes
6' min read
Key points
6' min read
A fine red success, and also a third place, with the regret that it could have been another Ferrari one-two, the second in a row, two weeks after Austin. This time without the concomitance of a Jannick Sinner win, which had brought Leclerc more luck. Overall, this is the fifth race won by the Reds this season, in 2024, which hasn't happened since Arrivabene's management.
This time even without emergency appendectomy surgery in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Badly Verstappen, off the podium because of his mistakes that cost him a lot: a high price that could be fatal for the dream of a fourth world title. Good but not very good Norris, who does not have the perfect car for those who should be dreaming of the final kick: for him a recovery of ten points on the reigning champion but still so much gap to close from here to the end of the year, given that now the gap is 47 points, with two sprint races in the next four remaining rounds.
This time, then, it was thanks to an excellent pace shown relentlessly throughout the Mexican weekend, culminating in Carlos' pole position and, yesterday, Sainz jr's fourth career victory. half that of Leclerc, the second this year. A true, deserved domination. Even if not very functional for the drivers' classification: but given that he was faster on the track, one could hardly imagine helping his team-mate, despite the fact that he is still mathematically in contention for second place.
However, the Scuderia di Maranello, on the strength of the recent developments made to the car, came to Mexico City with the aim of confirming the competitiveness shown in Texas. Moreover, the pole position was a surprise, as Ferrari has not traditionally been the fastest car in qualifying for some time. However, the joy of the pole start was immediately tempered by the knowledge that the long opening straight would make it difficult to keep the lead. And indeed, Sainz was easily overtaken by the reigning champion, went straight and gave up the position. But the high-adrenaline confrontation was short-lived, due to the immediate entry of the safety car for a nasty contact at the start between Tsunoda and Albon. So the race was 'frozen' until lap seven, but already by lap nine the Spaniard's Ferrari, with the help of the Drs, had easily regained the lead to the end. Talking about the two crashed drivers: it's been a while since the Thai driver has had a good run, as he wasted a start from ninth position, wrecked his Japanese colleague's car and forced the race direction to bring out the safety car. Only two days earlier, in free practice, he lost control of the single-seater and hit the blameless Ferrari rookie Oliver Bearman. On the other hand, in Williams, after Sergeant's departure, Albon suffered more pressure because the newcomer, the Argentinean Colapinto, immediately overtook him, managing to score five points in the two races in which he finished in the top ten. Young Franco is gaining sympathy and admiration in the paddock, but also among the sponsors: it is rumoured that he could be the ideal replacement for Perez at Red Bull and, on this occasion, also a good pretext to replace a 'Latin' grand prix with a return to Argentina, suppressed in 1998 after seeing Michael Schumacher triumph in Ferrari.
With two drivers down in the race and Sainz overtaking, although not the most straightforward or surefooted, the race fires up for quite a few laps. In particular, a tussle between Norris and Verstappen is also triggered, with a double run off the track: it's not just a fight for second and third place, but for the 2023 world title. It benefits Leclerc, who climbs to second place and takes advantage of the direct clash between Red Bull and Verstappen just as had happened in Austin.
