The 2022 Mexico City Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Gran Premio de la Ciudad de México 2022) is a Formula One motor race that takes place on October 30, 2022, at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, Mexico. The race is the 20th round of the 2022 Formula One World Championship and marks the 22nd edition of the Mexican Grand Prix, which is run under the name Mexico City Grand Prix for the second time. The event takes place across the weekend of October 28–30. It is the twentieth round of the 2022 Formula One World Championship. Going into the weekend, both the Drivers' and Constructors' titles have already been decided at the Japanese and United States Grands Prix, respectively. Max Verstappen leads the Drivers' Championship with 124 points from Charles Leclerc, second, and 126 from teammate Sergio Pérez, third. Red Bull Racing leads the Constructors' Championship from Ferrari by 187 points and Mercedes by 240 points. After announcing its entry into F1 from 2026, the German car manufacturer Audi choses the Swiss Alfa Romeo team as a partner. The Ingolstadt house acquires a stake in the Swiss group to create a strategic partnership. In the press release, Audi explains how the work will be divided between the two groups, with the technical partnership moving along the Hinwil-Neuburg axis between Switzerland and Germany. The powertrain will be created in Neuburg, while Sauber will develop and produce the car at its Hinwil plant. It will also be responsible for planning and executing tender operations. Furthermore, the car will actually run under the Audi banner, becoming to all intents and purposes the official team of the German brand. With around 30 years of competitive experience, Sauber is one of the most renowned and traditional teams in Formula 1. Oliver Hoffmann, Member of the Board for Technical Development at AUDI AG, says:
"We are delighted to have gained such an experienced and competent partner for our ambitious Formula 1 project. We already know the Sauber Group with its state-of-the-art facility and experienced team from previous collaborations and are convinced that together we will form a strong team".
For example, Audi Sport has already regularly used the Sauber Group's high-tech wind tunnel in Hinwil, just under four hours away by car, during the successful Le Mans era and during the development of the Class 1 touring car for the DTM. Finn Rausing, Chairman of Sauber Holding, says:
"Audi is the best partner for the Sauber Group. It is clear that both companies share the same values and vision. We are looking forward to achieving our common goals with a strong and successful partnership".
The development of the power unit, which consists of an electric motor, battery, control systems and a combustion engine, is already in full swing at the facility of the specially founded Audi Formula Racing GmbH in Neuburg an der Donau. More than 120 employees are already working on the project. Adam Baker, managing director of the company, says:
"Sauber is a first-class partner for the use of the Audi Power Unit. We are looking forward to working with an experienced team that has helped shape many eras of Formula 1 history. Together, we want to write the next chapter starting in 2026".
The timetable up to the first race with Audi participation in the 2026 season is ambitious, as the expansion of the Neuburg facility in terms of personnel, buildings and technical infrastructure should be largely in place in 2023. The first tests with the power unit developed for the 2026 regulations in a Formula 1 test car are planned for 2025. Formula 1 is taking a big step towards sustainability with the new regulations that will come into effect from 2026. The power units will be more efficient than today, as the proportion of electric power will increase significantly. The electric drivetrain will then have nearly as much power as the internal combustion engine, which comes to 400 kW (544 hp). The highly efficient 1.6-liter turbocharged engines will be powered by sustainable synthetic fuel that is CO2-neutral (according to EU standards). Formula 1 has also set itself the goal of being CO2-neutral as a racing series by 2030.
Before the Singapore Grand Prix, the Federation, releases a note stating that it has finalized the evaluation of the financial data of the previous Championship presented by all the Formula 1 teams. The alleged violations of the financial regulation, if any, are processed according to the formal process established by the regulation. According to the latest rumors, the Austrian team Red Bull Racing and Aston Martin would not have respected the budget cap set at 145 million dollars in 2021. The infringement by the Milton Keynes team is not serious and therefore it would be less than 5% of last season's available budget cap. The possible sanctions, therefore, do not go beyond a fine or a reduction of the funds available for next season. The Federation issues a statement acknowledging the unsubstantiated speculation and conjecture that has emerged in relation to the matter and reiterates that the assessment is ongoing and that due process is being followed without taking into account any external discussion. Before the dispute in the previous Japanese Grand Prix, a detailed report was expected from the world motoring body on any sanctions to be adopted. On the Wednesday before the Japanese race, previously scheduled as the one in which a detailed report on the team's expenses was to be published, the Federation communicates the postponement to Monday of the release of the certificates. The Federation reiterates for the second time that there is no truth to what has been leaked so far through the media, with any insinuation regarding the dissemination of confidential information by Federation personnel which is equally baseless. For the Federation it is the third postponement regarding the communications on the budget cap. The teams have been initially informed for 30 September 2022, to then be moved to 3 October 2022, then to 5 October 2022 and again to 10 October 2022. After the Japanese race, the world motoring body communicated that Red Bull Racing exceeds the spending ceiling by less than 5%, while for Aston Martin it is a procedural violation. Considering the 2021 budget cap set at $145 million, the 5% cap equates to a maximum of $7.25 million. The violation ascertained by Red Bull Racing is therefore less than 7.25 million dollars. Under the current legislation, procedural violations may result in fines or minor sporting penalties, in case of aggravating circumstances, as specified in the Financial Regulation. A minor spending violation can result in financial penalties or minor sports penalties.
The Austrian team declare themselves surprised and disappointed. The team highlight that the document presented was within the limit imposed and that it will therefore proceed to a careful review, given that they remain convinced that the relevant costs were within the spending ceiling. The team finally explain that they will consider the options available to it, while respecting the regulatory procedure of the Federation. The British team McLaren write a letter of protest to the Federation. According to them, two million dollars represents a 25-50% improvement in the annual development budget for a car and therefore would have a significant positive and lasting benefit. Furthermore, the team believes that sporting sanctions should be provided for small breaches, equal to a 20% reduction in the time dedicated to the simulation and the wind tunnel. These should be applied the following year, to mitigate the unfair advantage the team enjoys. To prevent the teams from accumulating and benefiting from the multiplier effect of several minor capping breaches, McLaren suggest that a second minor capping breach automatically moves the team to a major capping breach. Red Bull Racing is reluctant to accept the settlement agreement with the Federation for minor violations in the spending limit for the 2021 season. The world motoring body wants an economic penalty consisting of a fine, or the reduction of an amount from the amount available in the next two years, together with the reduction of 500 hours in the wind tunnel of the 2.000 granted for the next two years. On the day of the US race, the Austrian team and the Federation agree on the sentence to be served which is both financial and sporting. The team keep intact the budget available in 2023 of 135 million dollars, but have fewer hours to devote to development in the wind tunnel and have to pay a fine. The agreement, in a definitive line, is made official before this appointment given the death of Dietrich Mateschitz, Austrian entrepreneur and co-founder of the well-known manufacturer of the energy drink Red Bull. The penalty imposed on Red Bull Racing concerns seven million dollars and a 10% reduction on the development time of the car for next season. The team were found to have breached its $ 145 million budget cap by approximately $2.2 million, a 1.6 percent overrun. The two sides have reached a sort of plea agreement.
Aston Martin are instead fined $450.000 for procedural infractions. Formula 1 has been denounced for having violated the guidelines of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), regarding the decision to award the Bahrain Grand Prix the longest contract in the history of the category, expiring in 2036. Speaking of the upcoming Mexican Grand Prix, Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff is hoping for a good result again, as was the case in Texas:
"Race day in Austin was quite a rollercoaster of emotions. While we didn't quite have the pace to win, it was great to be in the mix at the front and leading the race. The upgrades we brought to Texas delivered a step forward and we were closer to the front than we have been recently. Lewis drove an outstanding race to finish P2 and George scored a good haul of points despite his damaged car. We need to keep this momentum going. We're cautiously optimistic heading to Mexico but the W13 can be unpredictable from track to track, so we'll have to wait and see. It's always good to be back in Mexico. The fans are fantastic and the atmosphere is spectacular every time we visit.They know how to put on a brilliant show so we're looking forward to being back in Mexico City. Nyck will be replacing George in FP1 this weekend as part of the young driver session allocation.We're excited to see him back in W13 and seeing how he performs".
This is an important weekend for the Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, because the Monegasque driver celebrates the 100th Grand Prix held in Formula 1. From 2018 to today, the young Monegasque has collected many results and emotions and in this regard, and with a touch of emotion declares:
"To be honest , these first hundred races in Formula 1 have flown by. It seems like only yesterday that I walked into the paddock in Australia in 2018 to take part in my first Grand Prix. I'm having a wonderful adventure which right from my second season, saw me join the most prestigious team of all. Our first year together was good, especially with my first two wins, but after that we struggled for the next two years. This year, 2022, we have been competitive at every race and have won three of them. Clearly, we are all working as one to get even more next year. We know our car works very well in qualifying and that we are lacking something on Sunday, but we are working hard and I think there have been signs of progress in recent races. In the end, the key point is always to get the tires up to the right operating temperature and we know that window is rather small, so that widening it is one of the goals for 2023 that we are working on in this final part of the season".
Carlos Sainz Jr. is ready to fight for the highest step of the podium:
"The atmosphere is wonderful and the fact that they speak my language here makes me feel the support of the fans even more. You notice it especially when you get to the slowest part of the track and you pass through those really high grandstands, the cheers give you goosebumps. Our goals are the usual ones. I am sure we will be competitive as we have been all year. We will try and be in the fight for the win. In the last two races, I' ve done fewer than two laps, so I think it's time to have a smooth race with no problems.This track requires a lot of aero downforce and traction and we will try and maximize the potential of the F1-75 starting from tomorrow's free practice".
On Friday, following the submission of all required documentation by all ten Formula One Teams, it is known that the Cost Cap Administration has offered to RBR an ABA to resolve this matter. That offer is accepted by RBR. An Accepted Breach Agreement dated 26 October 2022 was therefore entered into by and between the Cost Cap Administration and Red Bull Racing pursuant to Article 6.28 of the FIA Formula 1 Financial Regulations. A link to a summary of the terms of the ABA as provided for by Article 6.32 of the Financial Regulations is below. An Accepted Breach Agreement dated 26 October 2022 has been entered into by the Cost Cap Administration and Red Bull Racing F1 Team pursuant to Article 6.28 of the FIA Formula 1 Financial Regulations.
The Financial Regulations are issued by the FIA and form part of the terms and conditions of participation in the FIA Formula One World Championship. The Cost Cap Administration recognised that RBR has acted cooperatively throughout the review process and has sought to provide additional information and evidence when requested in a timely manner, that this is the first year of the full application of the Financial Regulations which are a very complex set of rules that competitors were required to adapt to and that there is no accusation or evidence that RBR has sought at any time to act in bad faith, dishonestly or in a fraudulent manner, nor has it wilfully concealed any information from the Cost Cap Administration. The ABA concerns: RBR’s submitted Relevant Costs reported in its 2021 Full Year Reporting Documentation of £114.293.000; subsequent to the findings of the Cost Cap Administration, a Procedural Breach committed by RBR pursuant to Article 8.2(e) of the Financial Regulations due to the submission of inaccurate Full Year Reporting Documentation in respect of the Full Year Reporting Period ending on 31 December 2021 because it inaccurately excluded and/or adjusted costs amounting to a total of £5.607.000 in its 2021 Full Year Reporting Documentation; and consequently, a Minor Overspend Breach committed by RBR under Article 8.10(b) of the Financial Regulations because its Relevant Costs, as adjusted by the FIA, exceeded the 2021 Cost Cap of £118.036.000 by less than 5%, namely by £1.864.000 (i.e., 1.6%).
In accordance with the findings of the Cost Cap Administration, RBR has acknowledged that the Reporting Documentation submitted by it included the following incorrectly excluded and/or adjusted costs: overstated excluded costs pursuant to Article 3.1(a) of the Financial Regulations (concerning catering services); costs pursuant to Article 3.1(w) of the Financial Regulations (concerning consideration and associated employer’s social security contributions); costs pursuant to Article 3.1(h)(i) of the Financial Regulations (in respect of Non-F1 Activities), as those costs had already been offset within Total Costs of the Reporting Group; costs pursuant to Article 3.1(k) of the Financial Regulations (in respect of bonus and associated employer’s social security contributions); understatement of Relevant Costs in respect of a gain on disposal of fixed assets by failing to make the necessary upwards adjustment; costs pursuant to Article 3.1(q) of the Financial Regulations (concerning apprenticeship levies); costs pursuant to Article 3.1(h)(ii)(i) of the Financial Regulations (concerning consideration and associated employer’s social security contributions); understatement of Relevant Costs in respect of provisions set forth by Article 4.1(a)(i) of the Financial Regulations (concerning the cost of use of Power Units); Costs pursuant to Article 3.1(h) (i) of the Financial Regulations (concerning consideration and associated employer’s social security contributions); understatement of Relevant Costs in respect of provisions set forth by Article 4.1(f)(i)(B) of the Financial Regulations (concerning use of inventories); clerical error inrespect of RBR’s calculation of certain costs re-charged to it by Red Bull Power Trains Limited; certain travel costs pursuant to Article 3.1(r) of the Financial Regulations; costs of maintenance pursuant to Article 3.1(i) of the Financial Regulations. RBR has therefore accept that it has breached: (i) Article 8.2(e) of the Financial Regulations due to its failure to file accurate Full Year Reporting Documentation in respect of the 2021 Full Year Reporting Period, and (ii) Article 8.10(b) of the Financial Regulations due to its failure to keep its Relevant Costs under the 2021 Cost Cap.
The FIA acknowledges that had RBR applied the correct treatment within its Full Year Reporting Documentation of RBR’s Notional Tax Credit within its 2021 submission of a value of £1.431.348, it would have been considered by the Cost Cap Administration to be in compliance with Article 4.1(b) of the Regulations and therefore RBR’s Relevant Costs for the 2021 Reporting Period would have in fact exceeded the 2021 Cost Cap by £432.652 (0.37%). On that basis, RBR has accepted the imposition of the following sanctions: RBR must pay a Financial Penalty of USD 7.000.000 to the FIA within 30 days of the date of execution of the ABA (Article 9.5 of the Financial Regulations); RBR receives a Minor Sporting Penalty in the form of a limitation of RBR’s ability to conduct aerodynamic Testing during a period of 12 months from the date of execution of the ABA through the application of a reduction of 10% of the Coefficient C used to calculate the individual Restricted Wind Tunnel Testing (RWTT) and Restricted Computational Fluid Dynamics (RCFD) limits applicable to each Team as set out in Article 6 of Appendix 7 to the FIA Formula 1 Sporting Regulations.
For example, if the Coefficient C, based on RBR’s championship position is 70%, the effective new value of C will be: CNEW=70% x (1-0.10) = 63.0%; and RBR bears the costs incurred by the Cost Cap Administration in connection with the preparation of the ABA. The decision of the Cost Cap Administration to enter into the ABA constitutes its final decision resolving this matter and is not subject to appeal. Non-compliance by RBR with any terms of the ABA will result in a further Procedural Breach under Articles 6.30 and 8.2(f) of the Financial Regulations and automatic referral to the Cost Cap Adjudication Panel. About this situation, Christian Horner, Red Bull’s Team Principal, during a press conference, says:
"We’ve been provided a significant penalty, both financially and sportingly, from the seven million dollars - which is an enormous amount of money, that is payable within a 30-day period - and obviously the more draconian part is the sporting penalty, which is a 10% reduction in our ability to utilise our wind tunnel and aerodynamic tools. And that, I’ve heard people reporting today [that it] is an insignificant amount - let me tell you now, that is an enormous amount. That represents anywhere between quarter and half a second worth of lap time. We cannot do as many wind tunnel runs, we cannot run as many simulations. That will have a material effect on our performance. It is difficult to put a lap time figure but one assumes that while these regulations are still pretty mature and development is still steep. By winning the constructors’ championship, obviously we’ve become victims of our own success by in addition to that 10% having 5% incremental disadvantage, handicap, compared to the second and third place. So, just for clarity, we will have 15% less wind tunnel time than the second-placed team in the constructors’ championship, and 20% [actually 21%] less than the third place. Again, a draconian amount. So that 10%, put into reality, as I say, will have an impact on our ability to perform on track next year. I think they've demonstrated that time and time again. There were other sporting penalties that were available to the FIA. But this one was obviously lobbied hard for by our competitors because they felt it hit us the hardest".
Friday is also the day of the first two free practice sessions. Lots of news and action on track, but it is always a Ferrari to come out on top at the end of FP1. Carlos Sainz is fastest with a time of 1'20"707, which is quite far from last year’s performance (1'18"341 set by Valtteri Bottas on a Mercedes). The new cars confirm the whole season trend of being slower than their predecessors. Coming back to the Spaniard, he is enjoying a good moment in terms of speed, also repeatedly beating teammate Charles Leclerc, even though he has often struggled to score relevant results at the end of races, like in the last outing in the U.S., where he was inculpably taken out by George Russell at the first corner of the first lap. Here in Mexico, Sainz Jr. precedes his teammate Leclerc by just 0.046s and home hero Sergio Pérez by 0.120 seconds. Verstappen sets the exact same time but later, so he is given fourth position at the end. Being among the testers, Sainz cannot repeat himself in FP2, and clinches P7, 1.723 seconds away from Russell in P1, completing a solid day:
"In general, it was a positive day here in Mexico. We completed the two sessions without any issues and managed to change the car quite a lot between the sessions to test different approaches. It’s not an easy circuit, we’re naturally lacking downforce here due to the altitude but we’re having fun out there. Thanks to all the Mexican fans for their great support! It’s always impressive to drive through the arena zone and hear them cheer! We’ll try to put on a good show for everyone this weekend".
Unlike Carlos Sainz Jr., Charles Leclerc has a bad day in the office. After claiming P2 in FP1 despite some minor inconvenience, the Monegasque ends his Friday early as he spins at turn 8 and hits the barrier with the back of his car, damaging rear wing and suspensions. Leclerc is luckily unhurt but the lack of grip and perhaps a too optimistic approach to the corner has cut his day short and given the Ferrari mechanics some extra work. Leclerc still manages to end FP2 in P7 (+1.648s):
"Not the best of Fridays, as we didn’t complete a great number of laps. Unfortunately, we had a puncture straight out of the box in FP1, so we had to pit and did just a few laps on the Soft tyres after that. In FP2, we completed some short runs. When we started with the long runs, I spun which ended my session. I don’t expect it to affect the rest of the weekend in any way and I am confident that we will have a good day tomorrow, as the feeling in the car is good".
A rather smooth Friday for Red Bull Racing sees both drivers achieve good results and show good pace. Max Verstappen has a little inconvenience in the morning as he spins out of turn 12 for hitting too much kerb. Fortunately for the newly crowned world champion, the run-off area is wide, and he manages to save the car without hitting the barriers:
"I had a little spin this morning in FP1, as soon as I came off the track it felt like ice and I was drifting left and right. On the soft tyres, everything felt okay but we only had one run on them. In FP2 we had to do the Pirelli tyre test, so it makes it a little bit more difficult as there are a lot of unknowns again, similar to last weekend. We have very little information, but from what we tried; everything was working okay. Let’s see what we can do come qualifying tomorrow".
Sergio Pérez wants to make his fans proud as he seeks a race win on home turf that he has never achieved since the Mexican Grand Prix returned to F1 in 2015. Pérez ends his day ahead of his teammate in P5, the second-best performance with the 2023 test tyres behind Lewis Hamilton’s:
"It was a tricky day to get a read on things, as is typical in Mexico with the altitude, everything is floating around. It is very easy to make mistakes in these conditions so overall I think we had an ok day. I think we got up to speed fairly quickly and got into a rhythm so it should hopefully be quite straight forward tomorrow. The tyre test means you basically lose FP2 but that’s how it is for everyone and in FP1 we got a good pace and we seemed to be competitive. Ferrari look strong, as do Mercedes, so it is going to be a tough battle tomorrow in qualifying".
And the Silver Arrows are indeed much quicker around the Mexican tarmac. The particular conditions found at high altitude in terms of grip and downforce seem to suit well the characteristics of the W13, which sports on his livery the name of Anthony Lane (1996-2022), a mechanical engineer of the power trains department who sadly passed away before the Mexican weekend. For the second time this season, former Formula E world champion Nyck De Vries steps on board the Mercedes and replaces George Russell in FP1. After the Dutchman has secured an F1 seat at Williams for 2023, the other drivers will have to get used to this new name, as does Carlos Sainz not without problems, with the Spaniard hearing debris in a radio communication with his engineer. The Dutchman ends the session in 18th place (+3.875s):
"I enjoyed the session and driving the car, we did a good job in FP1. We ran a bit of a different programme today, focused on developments for next year and I'm happy with my performance, feeling more and more comfortable in the F1 environment. It was also a very emotional session for me, as it marks the end of my time in the car for the team. But I'm happy, as we ended it well and we had a great time working together. I'm grateful for the opportunity Mercedes has given me, allowing me to learn a lot and build relationships within the team and now I'm looking forward to the next chapter".
Like the other drivers who gave their seats for the rookies in FP1, George Russell is given some extra time in FP2 to gain confidence with the track with the current-spec tyres.
The Brit wastes no time to deliver a great performance by claiming first place with a time of 1'19"970s. He then switches to the new tyres but keeps the best time. His words at the end of the day:
"Today was one of our better Fridays, if not the best of the year so far - the car is working well and it felt good driving on this track. The pace was relatively strong, but we know the challenges at this circuit. For qualifying, the difficulty will be to get the tyres in the right window for the single lap run. And on Sunday, it will be difficult to manage temperatures for the engine and for the brakes. A podium finish should hopefully be possible for us this weekend, so that's what we will be aiming for. Not having the normal FP2 running, where we get to assess the long run performance of our rivals, doesn't allow us to understand where our competitors are and that can become a big challenge if we will struggle with tyre temperatures during the race. We take some very useful learnings about tyre temperature management for next year and will be working hard overnight as it's not going to be a straightforward weekend for sure, but positive learnings for us today".
Lewis Hamilton maintains a consistent pace throughout free practice. The seven-time World Champion places fifth in FP1 and sets the best time among the tester in FP2 with fourth position overall. Hamilton claims a first place in his own way like his teammate, the fastest of the session, and his performance looks promising for the race, as Mercedes may be able to fight for victory with Red Bull. Hamilton says:
"I had a good session today, so generally feel good about our performance so far. I really enjoyed driving around the track, because the car is feeling better and better as we learn to understand it in more detail. The tyre test in FP2 we used to get as much practice in as possible. I don't know yet where exactly we stand compared to other teams, because everyone was running different programmes and I try to mainly focus on my own programme. The 2023 tyres seem very similar to the current ones, maybe a little bit more consistent on the long runs and easier to manage in terms of overheating. Of course, we will do plenty of work tonight, to see if we can compete with the front, but you never know with this car how the rest of the weekend will go, but I hope we are able to continue to build on our positive conclusion from today".
On Saturday, October 29, 2022, the two Mercedes are the fastest in the third free practice session. In this session, Russell is also the best, beating his teammate Hamilton by 144 thousandths. Russell takes the best performance in the second part of the session, when the track improves, thanks to better rubbering. Verstappen finishes in third place, having focused more on studying the tires for the race. The Austrian team, which also has the fifth-best time with Pérez, shows some traction problems. Between the two Red Bull Racing cars is Leclerc. Ferrari appears very fast in the first part of the track but struggles in the mixed section, suffering from understeer. Weather forecasts warn of possible rain, especially towards the end of the official qualifying session. Williams and Haas are the first teams on track, and all drivers choose to do two warm-up laps before looking for a performance lap. The first notable lap time is that of Sergio Pérez, quickly beaten by Leclerc (1'19"505). Verstappen, however, makes a mistake due to understeer and a car that slips through the corners. With his second attempt, the Dutchman brings the limit down to 1'19"222. Hamilton places third, three-tenths behind. Mercedes' other driver, Russell, is fifth, while Lando Norris manages to beat Pérez's time. Bottas climbs to third, and Ocon finishes seventh, just ahead of his Alpine teammate, Fernando Alonso. Pérez improves to sixth but is immediately beaten by Mick Schumacher. The German’s time is cancelled for exceeding track limits. Norris and Gasly improve, but the Frenchman remains in twelfth place. With the final attempt, Schumacher takes the fourteenth-fastest time, while Ricciardo climbs to thirteenth. Schumacher, and the drivers from Aston Martin and Williams, are eliminated. Q2 starts with no movement on track for the first two minutes. The first drivers out are Hamilton and Russell, with the former setting a better time than the latter by 13 thousandths. Verstappen, shortly after, remains four-tenths behind. The times, however, have dropped significantly compared to the first phase. Ricciardo takes fourth, while Pierre Gasly is seventh, just behind Pérez.
Norris climbs to fourth, but Valtteri Bottas performs even better, taking third. The Ferraris are less competitive: Leclerc sets the fifth-best time, while Carlos Sainz Jr. is seventh. Later, Ocon takes fifth. Pérez, after dropping to twelfth, climbs to third, 0.063 seconds behind Hamilton. His time is beaten by his teammate, Max Verstappen. Shortly after, Sainz Jr. climbs to second, just eight thousandths behind the best time. The top five are separated by 63 thousandths. Ricciardo, Zhou, Tsunoda, Gasly, and Magnussen do not make it to the final phase. In Q3, Pérez goes out first, while the two Mercedes drivers are last, not counting Alonso, who will complete just one fast lap. The Mexican sets a 1'18"153, the best time of the weekend; Sainz Jr. remains two-tenths behind, while Leclerc is half a second behind: both Ferrari drivers do not complete a perfect lap. Norris climbs to fourth, but remains far behind the Red Bulls and Ferraris. Verstappen beats Pérez (1'17"947), as does Hamilton. However, the British driver's time is cancelled for exceeding track limits, and he is beaten by Russell, who intercalates between the two Red Bull Racing cars. Unexpectedly, Bottas places himself between the Ferraris. Alonso, with his only attempt, is seventh, having also hit some bollards in the stadium section. With their second attempt, the two Ferrari drivers do not improve enough to claim pole position, although Leclerc manages to beat Bottas. Pérez improves, staying third, 0.181 seconds behind Verstappen. The Dutchman also improves, confirming his pole position, while Bottas beats Leclerc again. Finally, Hamilton climbs to third, while Russell's last attempt is cancelled, leaving him second. Max Verstappen takes his nineteenth career pole position, ranking sixteenth in the history of the World Championship for the number of pole positions. It is his sixth of the season, the first since the one he achieved in the Japanese Grand Prix, where he won the race and became World Champion for the second consecutive season. To be on pole here is amazing, says Max Verstappen:
"It was a tricky start to qualifying as the track was a bit warmer than FP3, I didn’t expect to be on pole here. Around this track it’s hard to nail a lap and we’ve been struggling to find a good balance in the car. After practice we made quite a few adjustments and we got into a better rhythm. Looking ahead to tomorrow, it’s a long run into to turn one so we need a good start, I think we have a quick car and that’s what is most important. It’s incredible to see the passion of all the fans here, it will be good to have Checo up there with me tomorrow, I hope we can have a fun race with a lot of action".
Sergio Perez explains that he had some electrical issues since qualifying started:
"We had an electrical issue from the beginning of qualifying - it meant I had no reference on lap times, no DRS zones and no information on my brake balance, I had to do everything myself. It was tricky because I was pretty much blind in qualifying, I didn’t know where I was through the lap and it was a big mess for me. But if I look back, I was about to get knocked out in Q1 and Q2 because of the problem, so to come this close to pole is good in the circumstances. P4 isn’t where I wanted to be, we could have been a lot higher, P3 would have been ideal. It is what it is though, we just have to look forward to tomorrow and try to have the perfect race, the atmosphere is amazing and we need to come back stronger. I will require a massive start but I still believe it is possible tomorrow. I am aware of all the effort people are putting into supporting me this weekend, it is a massive feeling to race at home".
Christian Horner, Red Bull’s Team Principal and CEO, is satisfied with Verstappen’s final lap after three incredible qualifying sessions:
"After an incredibly tight three qualifying sessions, it was a remarkable final lap from Max. To be the only car to dip into the 1'17"0 and achieve pole position by over 0.3 of a second is another fantastic drive. 2nd and 4th on the grid were covered by just under half a tenth and that sets us up for a thrilling race tomorrow. It’s a long run down to turn 1, providing plenty of opportunity for the drivers. The crowd will no doubt also play a factor, particularly for Checo, they have been fantastic today and with his start on the 2nd row, we look forward to seeing what tomorrow brings".
George Russell finds that his team well deserved today’s results:
"It feels like the team deserved more today - the car has been great this weekend and it's a testament to the hard work that has been going in for so long. At this high altitude, drag is less of a factor for us on the straights, and the update we brought to Austin is performing well. We saw last week with Lewis what the car was capable of, and this weekend, it felt like pole position was there for us. I'm kicking myself about the final run, but at the end of the day, there are no points for qualifying and I'm excited to be back on the front row. We will be going for it in the race and our long runs looked decent yesterday, so I'm excited to go racing and see what we've got".
Lewis Hamilton finds that today was the best qualifying so far:
"I'm proud of the team - this is the best qualifying we've had all year. It just shows that you can never give up, and that perseverance is the way forward, so a big thank you to everybody here and back at the factory. In terms of the laps, they were pretty closely matched, but obviously when the first one is deleted, you have to make sure the second is completely clean. There was still more performance in it but it's great to be so close to the Red Bull cars after we have been chasing them each weekend this year. So, we will just keep pushing, and I'm pretty happy starting from P3. It's a long way down to turn one...".
For him, having a better perfomance was possible but he is satisfied with the positions both cars achieved. But Says Toto Wolff, Mercedes Team Principal:
"We had a mega car today in FP3, as we saw from the lap times in that session, but then conditions changed a bit and it really closed up at the front. All the way through the session, we couldn't really match Verstappen in the stadium section, but George's lap was zero to him on the final run until the lock up at Turn 12. Still, those are good starting positions for tomorrow - and there will be opportunity in the race. We brought our final upgrade to Austin, which is working well, and we have been at our best in high downforce configuration this year - so slowly but surely, we are creeping back to the front".
Carlos Sainz Jr. is not particularly satisfied:
"It was a difficult qualifying. Riding the kerbs was very tricky for us, especially in the first two sectors, which meant it was challenging to put together the perfect lap. I tried everything out there today to get a better result but couldn't make it. Nonetheless, the weekend is not over and we will fight hard all the way to the chequered flag".
Charles Leclerc is of the same mind:
"We had a tough qualifying, losing quite a bit of time down the straights and not having a great feeling in terms of drivability. We need to investigate the reasons for this, so that we can improve and challenge our competitors tomorrow".
Says Laurent Mekies, Ferrari’s Racing Director:
"It was a tight qualifying today. This season, we’ve got used to being higher up the grid, but today we had to settle for 5th and 7th. It’s probably fair to say that we were not totally satisfied with the behaviour of our cars on this track, and that there are perhaps a few things we still need to crack around here to be more competitive".
So he adds:
"That being said, we think the potential is there. The gaps were relatively small and at some stage in Q2 it felt like we could be in the fight for better positions, but as it turned out we will start behind our competitors tomorrow. It’s a long and tough race here, we have seen many cars struggling more than usual with a lot of sliding and it could be a race full of surprises with hopefully some opportunities for us to bring home plenty of points. We focus tonight on trying to understand how to extract a bit more from the package we have here, and we will try our best to be in the fight tomorrow".
On Sunday, stands are full and there is a party atmosphere, at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. Home hero Checo Perez will start fourth on the grid, behind his teammate and pole-sitting Verstappen and the Mercedes cars of Russell and Hamilton. Verstappen and Perez are both on soft tyres, while the two Mercedes opt for mediums. Looking at the back, Haas driver Magnussen starts nineteenth with a five-place grid penalty for an engine change, with Aston Martin’s Stroll last on the grid, having been docked three places for his crash with Alpine rival Alonso in Austin. Lights out and the 71-lap race starts, with Max Verstappen who immediately goes first well defending from the two Mercedes drivers down to Turn 1, while Hamilton overtakes Russell in the middle of the first chicane to take P2. Perez makes a move on Russell exiting the chicane and, after getting out of the slipstream, passes on the outside of his rival at Turn 4 and moves into the podium places. Sainz maqnages to mantain his fifth position, but it is not the same for Bottas who drops back to eighth, behind the other F1-75 of Leclerc and between the Alpines of Alonso and Ocon. Lando Norris ends the top 10. In the first stages of the race, Hamilton is near the leader Verstappen, with just a little more than a second of detachment, before he goes back by a few tenths, also because of the engine cooling due to the altitude and warm temperatures of the track. You just need to try and break this tow. You’re doing a great job, was the message to Verstappen shortly afterwards, with almost two seconds separating himself and Hamilton by Lap 10, when attention started to turn to the pit stops. In the midfield, Gasly overtakes Stroll under braking for Turn 4 on lap 14, but the stewards state that the Frenchman forced the Aston Martin driver off the track and give him a five-second time penalty.
Max Verstappen continues to slip away from the rest, while Perez is six seconds off the lead, and Russell 7.5 seconds; Carlos Sainz Jr. and Charles Leclerc struggle with the pace of the Red Bulls and Mercedes. Around lap 20, Verstappen explains to his team that he has some tyre problems: the left front doesn’t want to turn, while on lap 24 his team mate Perez is the first of the front-runners to pit, swapping his softs for mediums; the stop lasts five seconds due to a sticking rear-left tyre. Verstappen pits two laps later, releasing Hamilton and Russell into the lead. Perez emerges behind the Ferraris, while Verstappen in P3, 20 seconds off the new leader Hamilton, who reports that my tyres are okay. However, on lap 30, the Mercedes team decides it is time to pit for Hamilton, who switches from mediums to hards, while Russell asks to extend his stint in order to mount a set of softs in the closing stages of the race. the British driver now leads Verstappen by 10 seconds, with Hamilton six seconds back. Russell’s pits on lap 35 to switch to the hard tyres, emerging fourth, around 16 seconds off the lead. Hamilton reports that the hards are not as comfortable as the mediums, and Russell soon joins him on the radio to question the strategy; the Mercedes team reassure both drivers that the pace will be better soon. Further back, the Ferraris continue their race, while Ocon and Alonso overtake Bottas goint into P7 and P8 respectively. Norris is still on the final point place. On lap 51, Daniel Ricciardo tips Yuki Tsunoda into the air at Turn 6, so the stewards hand him a 10-second time penalty. Tsunoda pits to retire his damaged car. Ricciardo passe salso his team mate Norris, Bottas, Alonso and Ocon, moving up to P7 and doing all he can to build a margin and emerge with some points. Verstappen leads Hamilton by more than 10 seconds, while Perez is third, trying to give the Red Bull another one-two finish. The two Mercedes driver are not still happy about the strategy, despite the many reassurances from the pit wall that the race will come their way. At the end, Max Verstappen wins the Mexico Grand Prix with a 15-second margin on Hamilton, claiming his 14th victory of the 2022 season.
This secures another record for the Dutchman as he now has the most wins in a single Formula 1 campaign, more than the 13 achieved by Michael Schumacher in 2004 and Sebastian Vettel in 2013. Hamilton finishes seconds, while Perez third, gaining the podium in his home race. Max Verstappen won his 14th Grand Prix of the season, setting a new record in Mexico City:
"The first stint of the race was critical today and we managed to stay in the lead after turn one. We were obviously on a different strategy to the cars around us and we had to look after our tyres a lot. We had quite good pace on the soft tyre even though it wears a bit more, we then drove the medium to the end. Winning 14 races in a season is incredible, we’re having an amazing year as a team and that’s the most important thing. We keep on pushing and we want to win as many races as possible, it’s really special what we are all achieving together this year".
Home favourite Sergio Perez has mixed emotions after the race, as he gained the podium finish at his home race but was penalized by a slow pit stop that hurt his chances of getting second place:
"It feels good to be on the podium but I wanted more today, I am a little bit disappointed. We could have finished second definitely but we had a poor pitstop, which really prevented us doing the undercut and being closer to Lewis. The hard tyre didn’t work for him initially but once he got them going it just didn’t work for me, then I was looking after my tyres and there was no more in them. We were planning to do a two-stop race but degradation was better than expected. This place in unbelievable, it is an amazing crowd here and I will never forget these moments because of the people. It is certainly, if not the best, one of the best crowds in Formula One - I am very privileged to have this support. I just want to go and win the next two races now, we have had the pace in the last few races, so now I just want to put it all together, cut out the small problems and then I believe we can do that".
Christian Horner, Red Bull’s Team Principal and CEO, is very pleased with today’s result:
"Both drivers were impeccable today and we got our strategy absolutely right. The soft and medium tyres were definitely the quickest. After both drivers’ first pitstop, we saw that the tyres were in really good hape so it was a no brainer to put on the mediums. Checo had a little bit of trouble with his pitstop, but his recovery was phenomenal and to see both drivers on the podium is incredible. We are pleased we got it right today and of course, Max was truly remarkable. Frankly, Max is racing to another level, he’s raised the bar so high all season and to break the record with 14 race wins is extraordinary, especially with a couple of races still to go. He deserves all the plaudits that are coming his way and his drive today demonstrates his maturity and ability to read a race and control it in a very convincing manner".
Lewis Hamilton focuses on the positives as he crossed the line second for Mercedes behind winner Max Verstappen:
"It was a good race for me today, although we didn't choose the right tyre strategy in hindsight. Nonetheless, to be this close to Red Bull makes me very proud of my team and I'm very grateful to them for the hard work they've put in to keep on moving us forward. The race pace generally was quite good, but we were offset on tyres for most of the race. Maybe we should have started on the soft, but obviously we went for the medium, then took the hard to make the one stop work; it looked pretty good on the first stint, but then the Red Bull was just too quick for us - and had the better tyre strategy today as well. Congratulations to Max on his win and it feels great to be back up on the podium here in Mexico. We're getting closer to the front, and we will continue to push. The last couple of races, we've taken a big step forward with the car and I hope we will continue like this for the final two".
George Russell complains on the strategy:
"I had a good start but lost two positions in the first lap and our strategy with medium - hard was not the right one in hindsight. I couldn't get the hard tyre working as there was just no grip. Red Bull and Ferrari both started on the softs and we need to understand why the other teams opted for the soft as that looked like the right strategy for this race. So that's clearly our learning for today, as we might have been able to get closer, being on the same strategy. Nevertheless, as a team we're making progress and I'm very happy about that. I'm intrigued to see how Brazil goes, although I don't think we will be quite as competitive as in Mexico, but still a huge positive takeaway from this weekend and a great job by the whole team".
Toto Wolff admits they got it wrong:
"Lewis and George did an amazing job today. We discussed whether the soft-hard was a viable strategy, but we didn't really have the soft-medium strategy on our radar going into the race. So, we just got it wrong today in hindsight, but we still showed strong performance and secured valuable points. Our performance gap to Red Bull today was small, and we had a good margin to Ferrari - however, we need to be careful about jumping to quick conclusions about the latter and wait to see what happens in Brazil. Our goals are still to win a race and fight for second in the constructors' championship: we want to demonstrate that our car is fast and the whole team put just so much work into upgrading the car, it would be fantastic for them if we can make it happen for one of the last two remaining races this year".
Ferrari were struggling for performance and finished far from the podium places. Sainz Jr. admits they had no pace:
"Today we did everything we could to get the best result possible, but unfortunately the pace was not there, so P5 was the maximum we could aim for. From my side, despite the overall picture, I had a good race and the feeling inside the car was positive this weekend. We will try to build on that ahead of Brazil and make sure we are ready for the last two races".
Charles Leclerc will end the season with the most pole positions of any driver, but after five podium finishes in a row, he did not managed to earn the sixth:
"It was a lonely race. Carlos and I were lapping together, too quick for the midfield but too slow for the front runners. We stuck to our strategy, focused on ourselves and got the most out of our package, but we were just too far off and we have to understand why so that we can work on being more consistent. As always, it was amazing to see so many fans around the track in Mexico City and to feel their passion".
Mattia Binotto, Ferrari’s Team Principal & Managing Director, says there are a lot of things to improve:
"It was a very difficult weekend for us and it was clear that we were already struggling yesterday in qualifying and that was accentuated even more in today’s race. There is a lot that needs to improve, but when faced with a difficult weekend like this, it is essential to bring the cars home and pick up as many points as possible. Charles and Carlos did the best they could and the way they tackled the first few corners after the start was exemplary. It is vitally important that we improve in the last two races so as to end the season to the best of our ability".