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Just one week later, on Sunday, October 27, 2024, the Mexico City Grand Prix will take place at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, marking the twentieth race of the Formula 1 World Championship. This upcoming event comes amid new and familiar controversies, this time concerning the defensive maneuvers used by Max Verstappen during the United States Grand Prix, which led to a penalty for English driver Lando Norris. In this regard, on Friday, October 25, 2024, the McLaren Racing team requested the FIA to exercise its right of review concerning the 5-second penalty imposed on Lando Norris at the end of the United States Grand Prix for overtaking Max Verstappen at Turn 12 using the escape route. Lando Norris was penalized because he was not ahead of Max Verstappen at the apex of the turn, and he completed the overtake on the outside by going into the escape route after being forced wide by the Dutch driver, who had also gone beyond the track limits. In the document explaining why Lando Norris was penalized, the stewards emphasized that the Dutch driver was ahead at the apex of the turn, which was the decisive factor in determining that Lando Norris had gained an advantage from leaving the track. The McLaren team claims to have a new significant element that could reopen the case. The FIA will initially assess whether the element is indeed significant. If it is deemed so, a second hearing may lead to a review of the 5-second penalty, but for now, we must wait for the decision on the first step - whether the McLaren element is sufficiently significant. There are 6 points at stake in the Drivers' Championship and the same in the Constructors' Championship. If Lando Norris were to return to third place, Max Verstappen's lead would be 51 points instead of 57, while McLaren would have a 46-point lead over Red Bull Racing instead of 40 (and 52 over Ferrari). On the other hand, the opinion of Max Verstappen, the leader of the Drivers' Championship, is completely different. On the eve of the Mexico City Grand Prix, the Dutch driver said:
"You cannot overtake outside the white line. It’s a very clear rule, and I have been a victim of it myself. I don’t understand why suddenly we have to ask and shout to change the regulations when it has always been this way. I grew up with go-karts, F3, F1, and I know you can’t pass outside the white line. It’s very simple; that’s how the rules are written. I didn’t make them, but I follow them as best I can. Sure, sometimes you can get carried away; it has happened in the past. I just stick to applying the rules and playing with them. Sometimes it’s said that there are too many rules, and then it’s said ‘we need more rules’: it’s always like that. It depends on which side you’re on".
Regarding the United States Grand Prix, Max Verstappen commented on his performance and that of Red Bull Racing:
"Austin was a positive weekend for me. Sunday didn’t go well, but we are analyzing why it happened. Overall, I felt like I was a bit more in the fight. In the last races, I haven’t been able to do anything, and the car was definitely more competitive, so I hope that from now on we can at least be in the fight".
The Dutch driver and diplomacy do not go hand in hand. Max Verstappen simply cannot help but say what he thinks, and in doing so, he doesn’t shy away from stirring up chaos around his words. Having faced criticism for what happened in Austin, both at the start and in the spectacular late-race battle, he pushed back against the controversial comments, highlighting a topic previously raised in similar situations by veteran Fernando Alonso: that of the passport.
"First of all, I didn’t expect to keep him behind because they were much faster. I had no grip, but I did everything possible, and in the end, we finished ahead of him, of course thanks to that penalty, so we can’t complain. I have the wrong passport; it’s from the wrong country to complain. Am I referring to the British one? In that regard, yes. I’m very happy with my passport. In that environment, however, apparently, I should have a different passport".
The duel between Max Verstappen and the FIA regarding etiquette and regulations concerning overtaking continues to evolve, dating back to the renowned ban on changing trajectory under braking, which first claimed Sebastian Vettel as a victim in Mexico, alongside a venomous team radio message aimed at then-Race Director Charlie Whiting. Throughout the 2023 season, Max Verstappen again established jurisdiction over pit lane behavior during Qualifying, blocking space by stopping in the pit lane, which was detrimental for those behind him who simply wanted to have a clear run onto the track. The 2024 United States Grand Prix was animated at the end by Max Verstappen's staunch defense against Lando Norris. On this topic, on Thursday, October 24, 2024, just before the Mexico City Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc weighed in:
"Racing against Max is nice because he is always on the limit of the regulations, and you know he will never give you space. But there are things seen in Austin regarding penalties and sanctions that we should discuss with the FIA. Sometimes there are severe penalties; sometimes there aren’t. We drivers need more clarity on what is allowed and what isn’t on track".
On Friday, October 25, 2024, Charles Leclerc will not be on track for FP1, as he will make way for Oliver Bearman, but he is confident of finding a competitive Ferrari starting from FP2 in Mexico:
"In the United States, we were the best car on track. On paper, Mexico should be a good track for us, but that doesn’t mean we will automatically be at the same levels as in Texas, where we struggled a bit in Qualifying".
Regardless of how this legal battle ends, Lando Norris is focused on the Mexico City Grand Prix and the challenge that may arise again with Max Verstappen during the race:
"I’d probably approach things quite similarly, with some modifications here and there; of course, I didn’t come out victorious from that battle. Things always have to improve. I think Max is probably the best, and I’d probably say with confidence that he is the best in the world in this style of defense and attack. I’m up against the best in the world, so I have to be at his level. Right now, I’d say I’m not quite at the level I need to be, nor at his level. It’s a shame to say, but that’s probably the truth. At the same time, it’s an experience for me to learn and progress and try to do better. It was still a nice battle; I really enjoyed everything we did last weekend. On track, it was a tough and exciting challenge, but obviously, I want to be the one to come out on top. I believe I was rightfully so, but obviously, the penalty at the end changed things. I’ll slightly change my approach, but I don’t need to change everything".
Returning to the topic of the penalty suffered in Austin, Lando Norris reiterated his opinion:
"A lot of questions have already been asked, and I don’t think the penalty was correct. I think most people disagree that it was fair, but that’s life, and sometimes things don’t go as you want. I believe things need to be clear about what is allowed and what isn’t. I think not braking to be ahead of the apex is wrong; that’s not how a race should be. I believe there should be changes, but at the same time, Max’s driving style is very tough; it’s inevitable, and it’s something I expect. None of us should have received a penalty. I tried to overtake and didn’t do it in the best way, but he didn’t defend or attack in a way that applied the rules either. We were both in the wrong".
The double podium at the end of the United States Grand Prix has brought good cheer back to Ferrari. With the latest technical modifications made to the SF-24, including those that Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur described as unseen innovations, the car produced in Maranello has started to become competitive again. Carlos Sainz Jr., like Charles Leclerc, wants to capitalize on this positive moment to continue fighting at the top, perhaps clinching more victories before starting his adventure with Williams Racing.
This is a possibility the Spanish driver considers feasible already in Mexico. Although the Maranello team hasn’t won in Mexico since 1990, it is a potentially favorable circuit where both cars secured the front row in qualifying last year, only to finish the race in third and fourth due to difficulties managing tire degradation. However, in twelve months, the perspectives have changed, and today, while the car produced in Maranello is not as competitive as it was then in terms of outright pace, it seems capable of maximizing tire wear. Thus, a historical flaw has turned into a strength.
"I believe that from now on we can aim to always be on the podium or to achieve victory. There will be tracks like Qatar where it won’t be as easy as in Austin or perhaps in Mexico. I hope that here we can take advantage of the good moment we’re in and try to fight for the top spot. It’s a circuit I like, and we have performed well in the past. I’m confident".
Carlos Sainz Jr. also shares his thoughts on the duel between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, which continues to be discussed due to McLaren Racing’s request for a review of the penalty:
"I think both cars should always stay on track. When both go off, then we need to determine who is responsible. I think it’s really complicated, given how the rules are written nowadays, to find the culprit in a case like this. At the same time, there are also too many penalties, so I believe it’s necessary to sit down with the FIA and understand exactly how they arrived at certain conclusions".
While Antonio Perez is confident that he will eventually have a career breakthrough that leads him to win the World Championship, Sergio Perez admits to the difficulties of a season to forget. With zero wins and only four podiums (all in the first five races of the year), the 2024 season has been the leanest for the Mexican driver since joining Red Bull Racing. The days of Max Verstappen's radio message calling him "Checo is a legend" after his crucial support in the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix seem far away. And despite a contract for the next two seasons, the Mexican driver's position at Red Bull Racing has never been so uncertain. Sergio Perez, speaking at the press conference for the Mexico City Grand Prix, is well aware of this:
"I know I’ve had a terrible, very difficult season. It started well, but it has been very complicated. However, if I were to achieve an important result here, I know it could significantly change the championship in terms of personal feelings and emotions. So, I’m really ready to do that. The positive aspect of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix was the modifications to the car's aerodynamics and understanding of the issues. Finally, the problems I’ve been talking about for a year and a half have been identified by the team, and that’s fantastic. Hopefully, we can turn things around. It’s obvious that when you have a car that is very difficult to drive, you make mistakes one after another and constantly think about how to optimize the car. For a driver, getting into that cycle is the worst thing that can happen".
He adds:
"People quickly forget your career and what you’ve done. And at some point, you start to doubt yourself. That happened to me, but I worked very hard. The results have been very hard to accept. It’s been a complicated time for me and the team, but now it seems like we’ve recovered. Some engineers on the team told me: We found the problem, we know why you’ve struggled so much, so now let’s fix it and move forward. That was nice; it usually doesn’t happen in Formula 1, where there’s always so much pride. My future? Nothing has changed because I know exactly what my contract entails and what my position is".
The 2024 season is certainly the most exciting of the latest generation of cars: with five races left in the World Championship, it’s likely that both titles will be decided at the end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. In the paddock, it is believed that Max Verstappen has a significant advantage in the title race, with a 57-point lead over Lando Norris, and that only a retirement from the Dutch driver could jeopardize his chances in the Drivers' Championship. The situation is different for the Constructors' Championship, where McLaren has a 40-point lead over Red Bull Racing and 48 over Scuderia Ferrari. This view is clearly shared by Toto Wolff. The Mercedes Team Principal believes that Scuderia Ferrari is still in contention for the Constructors' Championship:
"Max has a lot of points and it’s very difficult for Lando to win the Drivers' Championship. As for the Constructors' Championship, Ferrari is still in the game: if they continue what they did in the last two races, Ferrari can win the title".
According to Toto Wolff, the technical problem affecting the performance of Mercedes cars is the narrow operating window of the W15:
"Yes, it’s small, but we’re not alone because I’m sure Red Bull is struggling too. McLaren was very strong and then became slower, while Ferrari was struggling before the summer and is now the fastest. If the car finds the window, it works, and that goes for everyone. However, I believe that for us this window is smaller than for others".
The Mercedes team had high hopes in Texas, showing encouraging potential in Friday's qualifying. However, the early weekend performances did not translate into useful results, raising immediate doubts that the W15 might once again be subject to unpredictable behavior and a too-narrow operating window. However, Mercedes Technical Director James Allison dismantles this interpretation, providing a different explanation.
"Everything we measured suggests that the update package was performing as we expected. The aerodynamic load was there, and before the spins, we didn’t see any breaks in the airflow under the car. That’s why we believe the updates are positive and that we’ll enjoy them for the rest of the year. The unpredictable behavior that caused us to hit the wall unusually often was due to the fact that we had set the car up too low and stiff. As a result, the drivability suffered to the point of being unacceptable".
Following George Russell’s incident in qualifying and Lewis Hamilton’s in the race at the same point, there were fears that the Anglo-German team had encountered the same problems experienced with the plank used during the Belgian Grand Prix. Mercedes had shelved the updates after realizing that the new features, while increasing overall load, had altered the aerodynamic characteristics and balance, resulting in an unpredictable car. This does not seem to be the case with the technical package presented in Austin, with the drivability issues related to an aggressive choice of ride heights.
"My impression is that we were too close to the ground. These cars like to run low: the closer you get to the ground, the more time you can gain. However, if you push it too much, the car starts to behave unpleasantly. If you hit a bump wrong, it risks destabilizing the car and causing the rear to lose grip. When it goes well, you achieve a great level of performance, but if you hit a dip or get a gust of wind at the wrong moment, you pay the price. I believe we were playing a bit too much with luck in terms of how low and stiff we were running".
In addition to the general setup problems, there were also individual incidents in Austin. For example, James Allison reveals a background that would explain Lewis Hamilton’s lack of pace during the Sprint Race:
"When we took the car apart after the Sprint Race, in which Hamilton struggled with drivability, we discovered that one of the bearings supporting a suspension arm had started to break. That’s why the piece was moving and producing the noise Lewis heard, which was also associated with the car’s inconsistent behavior. That’s the main reason Lewis felt it in the rear, even though the problem was at the front. It translates into the sensation of a bouncy and unpredictable car, and this impacted his Sprint Race".
Overall, it wouldn’t be the updates that caused the poor results during the United States Grand Prix, but the technical director does not hide the fact that, even with a weekend without incidents, Mercedes would have struggled to achieve better than sixth place. On Friday, October 25, 2024, George Russell is the fastest in FP1, with a time that is 2 seconds lower than the best from the corresponding session in 2023. The British driver is followed by Carlos Sainz Jr. and Yuki Tsunoda; Max Verstappen, in fourth place, is forced to leave the session early due to damage to the floor of his car. The session is interrupted after twenty minutes due to a track exit by Alex Albon, who loses control of his Williams in the twisty section of the track after a collision with Oliver Bearman. The car spins out and hits the barriers. Fortunately, both drivers are unharmed but are unable to complete their programs. The session is further interrupted just 5 minutes later when Andrea Kimi Antonelli damages the floor of his Mercedes after hitting debris. The first practice session in Mexico ended with a small issue for Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing. The Dutch driver finished his track activity a few minutes early after reporting problems with the Power Unit via radio. The message from the reigning World Champion was quite clear and explicit:
"There’s something strange with the engine. I don’t know, it’s not behaving well. I have no power".
Often during practice sessions, teams use older engines that have already been maximized during other race weekends to save the new ones for qualifying and the race. Even if that were the case, it’s clear that a broken engine would represent an additional problem for Max Verstappen to manage in this final part of the season. However, Red Bull Racing is conveying - at least for now - a sense of calm. Team Principal Christian Horner stated that the problem with Verstappen’s Power Unit during FP1 is just a minor issue, and the team hopes it will be fixed before the FP2 session, which will last 90 minutes. Verstappen and Red Bull Racing need to be cautious, as the Dutch driver is at the limit with many Power Unit components and would incur a grid penalty if additional ones were fitted. Just before the start of FP2, an update on the condition of the Dutch driver’s car arrives:
"Verstappen's car suffered a leak in the turbo intake pipe at the end of FP1. The problem was resolved quickly. The switch to a new floor took a bit longer after a piece of metal debris on the track damaged the underside of the car".
The incident he was involved in at Monza did not scare Andrea Kimi Antonelli. While he got a bit carried away with excitement during FP1 at the Italian Grand Prix, the Italian driver changed his approach in Mexico, starting slowly and preferring to find the limits of the W15 step by step. In the end, Andrea Kimi Antonelli finished in P12, a result that satisfies the Italian driver. Antonelli - who was the best among the five rookies on track - also faced a small scare when he hit a piece of debris on the straight that cost him some speed. Team Principal Toto Wolff quantified the damage as 0.25 seconds.
"Kimi did a solid job. We lost two and a half tenths with that piece hitting the car. The work went well; I like what he did".
Speaking about the car’s performance, Toto Wolff expressed satisfaction with George Russell’s first-place finish, but he isn’t sure if Mercedes can compete for victory:
"We’re a bit skeptical because on Friday night in Austin, if Lewis had completed the lap, we would have been four tenths faster than Verstappen. We need to see how the weekend unfolds and not just focus on Friday".
FP2 lasts for an hour and a half to allow Pirelli to conduct a more in-depth analysis of the tires designed for the 2025 season. Each team has five fast laps available in qualifying configuration, plus twelve laps for race simulation. At the end of the session, Carlos Sainz Jr. sets the fastest time, followed by Oscar Piastri and Yuki Tsunoda, who also finished third in the morning session. George Russell, who was first in the morning session, is involved in an incident at Turn 9, causing his car to become stuck in the barriers. The driver emerges unharmed from the vehicle. Alex Albon is unable to participate in the session due to his team's inability to repair the car, while Max Verstappen completes only a few laps due to a Power Unit issue. Charles Leclerc, who had handed his car over to Oliver Bearman in the morning, also faces delays in reassembling his car but finishes the session with the fourth-best time. The first day of track activity brought mixed emotions for the Scuderia Ferrari team. At the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, the cars produced in Maranello impressed with their speed and consistency in race pace, suggesting they could still be in contention for victory, just like in Austin. While Carlos Sainz Jr. ended FP2 with the best time of the day, there was some disappointment on the other side of the garage due to Oliver Bearman’s incident with Alex Albon during FP1 and the lengthy red flag in the afternoon session, which prevented Charles Leclerc from recovering some of the lost time in the morning. It’s clear that Carlos Sainz Jr. was the one gathering the most positive data for Scuderia Ferrari:
"Overall, it was a positive day for me as I managed to complete the planned program and worked on the balance and setup, especially in the first session. In the second session, we had to run on the C4 tire (which will be the Medium, marked in yellow for this weekend in Mexico), allowing us to collect useful data, particularly regarding race pace. Saturday morning's session will be very important to work towards qualifying, as there’s definitely room for improvement, although the start has been encouraging".
Charles Leclerc had a more challenging day:
"For me, it wasn’t an easy Friday. I was supposed to miss the first session, but I would have had 30 extra minutes in the second. Unfortunately, that half hour was lost due to the red flag caused by Russell’s off-track excursion. These things happen; now we just need to work as best as we can to maximize our qualifying result, since starting positions are crucial on this track. The pace seemed good from the first lap I did in the car, which makes it even more important to secure a good grid spot tomorrow".
Total disappointment came from Oliver Bearman. The young English talent, in his second outing of the season driving for Ferrari - after his surprise debut in Saudi Arabia to replace the injured Sainz Jr. - ended his day early due to the misunderstanding with Albon:
"Unfortunately, my practice session didn’t go as I hoped, as it was interrupted almost immediately by the incident with Alex. It’s a shame because this is a nice track to drive, and I aimed to increase my understanding of the SF-24. These things can happen in racing, and now I’m looking forward to seeing the team’s performance level in qualifying".
Bearman was not deemed responsible for the incident, with the stewards considering it a mere racing contact. Speaking of racing incidents and close overtakes, McLaren Racing attempted to overturn the penalty imposed on Lando Norris after the United States Grand Prix by exercising the much-discussed right to review. However, it turns out that no appeals have ever been accepted since the institution was conceived, as it is extremely difficult to present evidence that is simultaneously significant, relevant, new, and not available at the time of the initial decision. The McLaren team tried to argue that Lando Norris did not actually overtake Max Verstappen off the track.
Their defense was based on the claim that it was Verstappen who had passed Norris with a borderline braking maneuver, going off track and pushing the young British driver into the escape road. As has often been the case in similar precedents, the appeal was rejected. At the end of FP2, the Woking team issued a statement in which they, while disagreeing with the FIA stewards' interpretation, accepted the ruling.
"We acknowledge the decision to reject our request for a right to review. We disagree with the interpretation that a document from the FIA, which makes a competitor aware of an objective, measurable, and demonstrable error in the decision made by the stewards, cannot be admissible evidence that meets all four criteria set out by the International Sporting Code. We would like to thank the FIA and the stewards for considering this case in a timely manner. We will continue to work closely with the FIA to better understand how teams can constructively contest decisions that lead to incorrect race classifications".
Discussion continues in the paddock regarding the duel between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris that marked the closing laps of the United States Grand Prix in Austin. The matter is indeed debated. While it’s true that Max Verstappen was ahead of Lando Norris and thus entitled to the best line, it’s also true that the Dutch driver eased off the brake to carry more speed through the corner, somewhat artificially securing that line. This maneuver is something Verstappen has frequently employed in his career: in Turn 1 in Austin against Norris, certainly, but also (and more than once) against Lewis Hamilton during their tight battle for the Drivers' Championship in 2021. Hamilton highlights this in evaluating the incident between Max and Lando:
"It’s interesting that people are talking about this so much only now. In reality, it’s the same maneuver he did against me in 2021. For instance, we can consider the battle in Brazil: in braking, I was ahead, but then he simply released the brakes and didn’t make the corner, forcing me to go off track to avoid a collision. In such cases, you have no choice; you’re forced to go wide if you want to avoid the incident. I think something absolutely needs to be done because these episodes have been occurring for some time, and at this point, they are happening more frequently. A driver should not be allowed to release the brakes to gain more speed into a corner and still retain their position after going off track".
Lando Norris's penalty in the United States Grand Prix will not be overturned, but the protests from the driver and the McLaren team could lead to a result. The FIA, after a meeting with the drivers held in Mexico City where several representatives challenged the penalty imposed on the British driver, will review its guidelines. The FIA will draft a revised text to judge cases like the Verstappen-Norris duel in Texas differently and will present it to the drivers for approval during the current season. As of now, it is not official what changes the FIA will implement, but it’s logical to think that they will concern the defensive tactics of the World Champion, who releases the brakes to position himself ahead of the apex, thus gaining the freedom to set the corner as he wishes and pushing the other driver outward. Verstappen's tactic does not violate any rules, as it is the driver ahead of the apex who decides how to take the corner without risking penalties. The majority of drivers believe that the Dutch driver is exploiting a loophole in the regulations regarding defending his position against a car attempting to overtake on the outside. It’s a legal tactic but one that, according to the drivers, goes against the spirit of the regulations, which they believe should be modified (and thus penalize Verstappen) by punishing those who, defending with this tactic, go off track. During the meeting, the Dutch driver stated that if the regulations were to change, he would adhere to the new guidelines, reiterating that he has always raced according to the rules. A spokesperson for the FIA stated:
"There was a general commitment to continue updating the guidelines on driving standards. It is a common opinion that these guidelines need to keep evolving, not due to isolated incidents like the one in Austin, but out of a desire to provide consistency in the decisions of the sporting stewards".
Whether or not the new updates have been implemented, Mercedes continues to navigate an ambiguous phase of the season. This is not only a perception from the drivers but also something immediately visible from the outside. After a FP1 in which George Russell managed to clock the best time, bringing smiles to the mechanics and engineers in the Mercedes garage, FP2 lasted only a handful of minutes, with the British driver crashing into the wall after suddenly losing control of the W15 in the fast corners of the second sector. A similar incident had occurred in Austin when both updated Mercedes had appeared unbeatable in Sprint Qualifying, just hours after a challenging FP1 session in which both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell had spun. Then came another upheaval, with George Russell crashing in Q3 and being forced to start from the pit lane, yet he was incredibly fast in the race with the old aerodynamic package, while Lewis Hamilton stopped just a few kilometers into the Grand Prix, despite the technical updates. It is clear that the damage count is increasing, with the two drivers collectively recording five actual crashes and spins without consequences in less than a week.
"I’m okay, although I’m a bit dazed from the incident. Honestly, I don’t know what happened; the car started bouncing on the ground, and before I could regain control, I was already spinning. I have no words; it feels like one thing after another right now, and it’s frustrating. FP1 was very encouraging; I was really quick. I tried to maintain the same lines, but for some reason cutting that curb in FP2 sent me off".
Despite the bumps and the inevitable disappointment of having to put the mechanics through yet another intense repair effort, George Russell admits that he didn’t lose much since FP2 of the Mexico City Grand Prix was almost entirely dedicated to testing the Pirelli tires that will be used in the 2025 season:
"Due to the Pirelli test, this FP2 wasn’t that important regarding what can be learned for the rest of the weekend. However, FP3 will be crucial, as I still lost very important time since I missed the chance to rack up laps. I hope to have the car ready".
On Saturday, October 26, 2024, FP3 was marked by McLaren's dominance, with Oscar Piastri narrowly ahead of Lando Norris by just a few thousandths of a second. The Australian driver's time is under 0.7 seconds from the pole position time set in the 2023 edition. Carlos Sainz Jr. confirms his competitiveness with the third fastest time, followed by Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, and Charles Leclerc. A few hours later, as qualifying begins, Carlos Sainz Jr. completes his first attempt with a time of 1'17"444, followed by Charles Leclerc at 0.4 seconds behind. Shortly after, Lando Norris sets a new benchmark with a lap of 1'17"203. All three drivers use Medium tires for their times. Then, Lewis Hamilton slots into the mix between the two Ferrari drivers, and shortly after, both Aston Martin drivers manage to clock better times than Charles Leclerc. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen, on Soft tires, records a time of 1'16"998, while the two Williams Racing drivers move up to fourth and fifth. Sergio Pérez, however, is struggling with braking issues, sitting 1.5 seconds off the World Champion's pace. Nico Hülkenberg and Pierre Gasly alternate in second place, while George Russell moves to fourth, and Lewis Hamilton is stuck in eighth. Oscar Piastri fares worse, sitting in P13. Soon after, Lando Norris sets the best time with a lap of 1'16"505. Oscar Piastri sees his time canceled for exceeding track limits. Both he and Sergio Pérez appear to be in significant trouble regarding progression to the next round. Shortly thereafter, Alex Albon climbs to fifth, and Charles Leclerc moves back up to third before Yuki Tsunoda jumps to fifth with a late quick lap. Kevin Magnussen then takes fourth position. Franco Colapinto, Oscar Piastri, Sergio Pérez, Esteban Ocon, and Guanyu Zhou do not advance to the next phase. In Q2, the first driver to set a valid time is Alex Albon with a 1'17"090. All drivers opt for Soft tires from the start. Max Verstappen lowers the bar to 1'16"629, while Charles Leclerc is fourth, although his time is later canceled; Carlos Sainz Jr. improves, moving to second. Shortly after, Kevin Magnussen takes fifth, ahead of Nico Hülkenberg and Valtteri Bottas, before Yuki Tsunoda climbs to fourth. Pierre Gasly is third, but it’s Lando Norris who sets the best time at 1'16"301. George Russell and Lewis Hamilton are third and fourth, respectively.
Soon after, Alex Albon moves to fifth, while Charles Leclerc, on his second quick lap, secures third place, ensuring he avoids elimination. Carlos Sainz Jr. finishes just 0.001 seconds behind Max Verstappen. Kevin Magnussen also improves, moving to eighth, and Nico Hülkenberg then posts the eighth-best time. In the latter part of Q2, Yuki Tsunoda crashes at turn 12, leading to a red flag that ends the session. Yuki Tsunoda, Liam Lawson, Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll, and Valtteri Bottas do not make it to Q3. In Q3, Nico Hülkenberg records a time of 1'17"581, but Max Verstappen sets a more significant benchmark with a lap of 1'16"368. Lando Norris trails by almost 0.6 seconds, while Alex Albon posts a faster time than the two Haas drivers. Charles Leclerc comes within 0.1 seconds of Max Verstappen after Pierre Gasly had moved up to third. Carlos Sainz Jr. completes his attempt with a time of 1'16"055, but Max Verstappen's time is canceled by the race stewards for exceeding track limits. The Mercedes drivers clock the third and fourth-best times. On his second attempt, Kevin Magnussen rises to fifth, Pierre Gasly to sixth, and Alex Albon to eighth. Charles Leclerc, who records the best split in the first sector, finishes his second attempt 0.2 seconds behind Carlos Sainz Jr., who also improves. Max Verstappen is second, ahead of Lando Norris. Carlos Sainz Jr. signs his masterpiece at the end of qualifying for the Mexico City Grand Prix. The Spanish driver completes two perfect laps, capping off a great weekend so far and securing pole position.
"This is a very sweet moment because it’s not normal to do two such beautiful laps on this circuit. It’s very slippery, and putting together a lap is very difficult. My two laps in Q3 were almost perfect. I’m very happy with this pole and to have confirmed my good form".
The impressive fact is that Carlos Sainz Jr. set the two fastest times in Q3: even without improving on his second attempt, he would still have started ahead of everyone else. The Spanish driver notes that this progress began at the United States Grand Prix:
"At Austin, my lap in Q3 was very positive, and I had hopes for Mexico. Today, I managed to maintain them".
However, the circuit named after the Rodriguez brothers is known for its long start straight, which tends to favor the pursuers more than the pole sitter into Turn 1:
"For tomorrow’s race, I’m relatively calm because we know our race pace is good. The most difficult part will be getting into Turn 1 in front because those starting behind can slipstream. However, I think we can defend ourselves and maintain the lead: that will be my goal for tomorrow. The approach won’t be much different from other races; the important thing will be to start well and defend. I will fight for this very important objective tomorrow, and I’ll have less to lose compared to my two closest rivals".
When asked how exciting it is to be in the fight for the top of the standings, and possibly even in contention for the Constructors' Championship in his last five races with Ferrari, Carlos Sainz Jr. says:
"It’s really nice. Considering how fast the car is right now and how well I’ve been driving lately. Obviously, we’re entering the last five Grands Prix of the season with optimism. At the same time, though, it’s a bittersweet feeling for me. I have the impression that Ferrari could be fighting for the world title next year, but I won’t be here to do it. I feel like I’ve played a role in the last four championships in trying to prepare the team for the moment when it would be fighting for the title. I’m driving well, I’m fast in the car, but knowing that I’ll be leaving in five races leaves me a bit… I don’t know how to describe it, but it’s not a nice feeling. But it is what it is; I can’t change it. As I said, I’ll try to win as many races as possible and get on the podium in these last Grands Prix and enjoy the moment. We’ll think about the rest next year".
Charles Leclerc presents a dual-faced demeanor in the paddock after qualifying for the Mexico City Grand Prix. The fourth position on the grid does not satisfy the Monegasque driver, especially since Oscar Piastri and Sergio Perez self-eliminated in Q1, while Carlos Sainz Jr. secured his sixth career pole position with a significant margin over both Max Verstappen and his teammate. The frustration of the moment overshadows any reasonable long-term perspective. Charles Leclerc knows that his Ferrari is very competitive over a long distance (as shown by the race pace in FP2) and that fourth place in Mexico is less penalizing than in other circuits, but these aspects do not interest him at the moment.
"Carlos is going strong, and I’m going slow. It’s not a question of Carlos; it’s more about me: I’m not doing a good job at the moment. It was difficult because I missed FP1, and we were behind schedule in FP2; I’m not comfortable with my car right now. The only positive is that I was the fastest in race pace yesterday, and that’s good. I also knew that the car wasn’t very optimized for today but more for tomorrow, but that doesn’t justify the three-tenths gap to Carlos. I’m not happy with the work I did today. Nothing is lost, but I don’t want to think too positively. I had a bad day today, and I’m angry: for the race, we’ll see; we can still win, but starting fourth is harder than starting from pole".
Despite the back pain that has been bothering him lately, Frédéric Vasseur smiles at the end of qualifying for the Mexico City Grand Prix. He couldn’t feel otherwise given the fantastic pole position achieved by Carlos Sainz Jr. This result has even surprised the Team Principal:
"Without a doubt, it was a great qualifying, and honestly, we didn’t expect to be on pole because we perform much better in race pace, but it was a pleasant surprise. Carlos did an excellent job; he put together two laps that would have put him on pole".
Next, the French manager shifts the focus to Charles Leclerc, who is fourth after a less-than-perfect final attempt:
"Charles, although not very happy with his lap, is close to Norris. We are in the fight for tomorrow. We are in a good dynamic after Austin; today’s pole is very nice and gives us a lot of energy. For the race? The most important thing for strategy is to have a good pace, and in Mexico, there’s a very long straight to Turn 1, where it’s not guaranteed to arrive first. In any case, it’s better to start from pole. We had a good pace yesterday in the race simulation, and I hope we can maintain the same approach tomorrow".
The Spanish driver of Scuderia Ferrari, looking for a victory to bid farewell to the Maranello team with a smile, will have his former teammate, Max Verstappen, starting beside him in second place with Red Bull Racing.
Max Verstappen's exceptional qualifying result came the day after one of the toughest days of the year for the reigning World Champion. Due to a problem with his engine - later replaced without penalty with another power unit that had already been used during the season - he hardly practiced, often complaining about an inadequate setup. The engineers at Red Bull Racing then completely revised the setup of the RB20 between FP3 and qualifying, resulting in the Dutch driver feeling comfortable again on the curves of the Autodrome Hermanos Rodriguez. However, there was some surprise, as highlighted by Verstappen himself:
"I’m very happy with the front row; I didn’t expect it to be possible. The result is much better than I anticipated. But obviously, it’s still not at the level it should be, considering our rivals. I just think we maximized the package once again. I felt good in the car, but we’re still not fast enough. Of course, you always want to win, and luckily, that has happened many times before. If the chance comes, I will try to seize it. I barely got a few laps in on Friday, so it was clear that things could only improve on Saturday. But yes, we were very far behind, and from that perspective, it was a pretty terrible weekend".
And he adds:
"Being on the front row, considering the difficulties we faced, shows that we remained calm and tried to look at the data to better understand the car's behavior and be more competitive. The race? I don’t expect miracles; Ferrari was very, very fast in Austin. Then, of course, there’s McLaren, which maybe wasn’t that strong last week, but I believe they will be competitive here as well".
Lando Norris is the only one of the two McLaren Racing drivers who has the new floor developed by the engineers based in Woking. However, after a promising start in qualifying, the British driver ultimately couldn’t go beyond third place on the grid for the Mexico City Grand Prix. This position does not hinder his chances of fighting for victory or seeking revenge in the wheel-to-wheel battle against rival Max Verstappen, who seems to be struggling even more than the qualifying result might suggest. The British driver claims to be satisfied with his performance in Q3, although he admits that with a slightly better lap, he could have beaten the Dutch driver and secured a front-row spot.
"It was difficult to put everything together, and that was probably the biggest challenge in qualifying. I found the limit very quickly in Q1 and Q2, and obviously, things seemed to be going well. But having found the limit so early, I struggled to extract a bit more from the car in the last two laps. I tried in Q3 on the first lap, and it didn’t work, so on the second attempt, I had to drive well below the limit. However, I don’t think we ever had the pace of Ferrari throughout the weekend. Maybe I could have beaten Max, but he did a good lap. Mine wasn’t as clean as I would have liked, but I’m still pretty happy with third place".
Lando Norris also addresses the topic of the aerodynamic updates that the McLaren team brought for him in Mexico. The British driver confirms that he is satisfied with the new plank but notes that the improvements are very small and barely noticeable:
"The package worked exactly as the team expected, so it helped. But yes, if it had been an improvement of two or three tenths, then I would have easily been on pole position. We’re instead talking about a very small step forward, certainly much smaller than what people might imagine from the outside. When talking about updates, one typically thinks of gains of one, two, or three tenths of a second. But that’s not the case here".
For Sergio Perez, it was supposed to be the Grand Prix of redemption in front of his home crowd, but it seems to have turned into yet another nightmare of a season that he himself has described as terrible. On the Saturday of the Mexico City Grand Prix, the Red Bull Racing driver faced his fifth disappointing elimination in Q1. This elimination wasn’t exactly a surprise given his performances during Free Practice, but it certainly dealt a blow to morale on home turf. Checo then revealed that he has been plagued by another problem that has recently emerged with his RB20: the inability to find a good feeling with the brakes. Indeed, the Mexican driver ended up ruining both of his final laps in Q3 due to lock-ups in the stadium section.
"I struggled quite a bit with the braking. Every time I pressed the brake pedal, I ended up putting too much energy into the tires, making it very difficult to stop the car. This has happened to me in the last three races, so I’m forced to modulate the braking differently. You can see it in the telemetry data, but right now we can’t fix it. It’s especially on the straights that I can’t stop the car properly. I just slide a lot, and that’s a problem, especially on this track, considering how sensitive the tires are to the surface".
However, starting from the pit lane after changing the setup may not be the solution:
"We will discuss all possible options, but the problem is that we’re also quite limited with the spare parts we have available. For example, we don’t have a specific floor that we would have liked to try. I don’t know, I’ll talk it over with the team. It will definitely be a difficult race because this braking issue also occurs during long runs. Anyway, I will try everything to find solutions with the team. Obviously, it’s a huge disappointment because if there’s one Grand Prix where I really want to do well, it’s this one at home. Unfortunately, this time it’s all been very difficult and complicated".
On Sunday, October 27, 2024, at the start of the Mexico City Grand Prix, Max Verstappen attacked Carlos Sainz Jr., pushing him off the track and taking the lead. In the back, Pierre Gasly caused Alexander Albon to collide with Yuki Tsunoda's car at the first corner, prompting race control to deploy the Safety Car for the next six laps. At the restart, no overtaking occurred, but during lap 8, Carlos Sainz Jr. reclaimed the lead, passing Max Verstappen at the first corner. Shortly after, Lando Norris also attacked the World Champion, who defended fiercely, allowing Charles Leclerc to pass both and move up to second place. Soon after, Max Verstappen received a 10-second penalty for his defensive maneuver against Lando Norris. Later, race control imposed another 10-second penalty on the Dutch Red Bull Racing driver for similar reasons. On lap 15, George Russell overtook Lewis Hamilton, moving up to fifth place. Three laps later, Sergio Pérez attempted to overtake Liam Lawson to gain tenth position, but the New Zealand driver for Racing Bulls defended well. After 25 laps, Carlos Sainz Jr. held a 4.5-second lead over Charles Leclerc, while Max Verstappen was third and struggling with his tires, making him vulnerable to Lando Norris. The Dutch driver pitted for new tires on lap 26, serving his penalties and returning to the track in P15. After changing tires, Carlos Sainz Jr. maintained first place ahead of Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, and the two Mercedes drivers, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton. In the following laps, Max Verstappen climbed back to sixth place, aided by the pit stops of the drivers ahead, sitting behind Lewis Hamilton but in front of the two Haas drivers. Oscar Piastri, starting from the back, also made significant gains, reaching fifth place by lap 34. After his pit stop, the Australian McLaren driver fell out of the points but managed to climb back to ninth place after 47 laps. Eight laps later, Oscar Piastri moved up a position, passing Nico Hülkenberg. In the final laps, Lando Norris closed in on Charles Leclerc, and due to a mistake by the Monegasque driver at the last corner on lap 63, Norris took second place. Subsequently, on lap 66, Lewis Hamilton, after a lengthy duel, managed to overtake George Russell (partly due to damage to Russell’s front wing, which slowed him down), moving into fourth position. Charles Leclerc set the fastest lap on the last lap after making a brief pit stop to change to Soft tires. Mission accomplished for Carlos Sainz Jr. The Spanish driver had stated his desire to win another race as a Ferrari driver before bidding farewell to the Maranello team. He achieved this, dominating the Mexico City Grand Prix. Sainz’s supremacy was never in question; he lost the lead only at the start, being overtaken by Max Verstappen. However, a fantastic move at Turn 1 allowed him to regain the lead, which he maintained until the end of the race. This fourth career victory for Carlos Sainz Jr. is likely his most dominant performance ever. Quick in free practice and untouchable in qualifying, the Scuderia Ferrari driver completed the job in the race.
"The overtake on Max was one of the most beautiful and important of my career. You could tell he was a bit angry about what happened at the start, but honestly, he got off the line better and did what he needed to do at Turn 1. I wasn’t happy: I was super fast all weekend and I wanted this win. At the first half-opportunity I had, I made a great braking move. With Max, you have to be like that; otherwise, you’ll never pass him. If you don’t pass him aggressively and decisively, you won’t do it. From that point on, I knew I was the fastest on track and I enjoyed the victory".
Since the end of the race held in Texas, Carlos Sainz Jr. had spoken about this victory, showing great confidence in all his interviews:
"All weekend, I felt like I could do it. It was a bit of a strange feeling because I had the right feeling to achieve victory. Honestly, I deserve it: I’ve been driving well all year and I prepared really well for this end of the season. I was already very strong in Austin, but in Mexico, I knew my whole family would be there, including my mom, who has never seen me win. I had the feeling I could win, which shows how strong the mind can be. We did everything possible and it was a perfect weekend. I enjoyed this podium in front of my family, who have supported me a lot this year, which hasn’t been easy for me, and I’m still motivated to finish the season well thanks to them. Now I’ll enjoy the victory, tomorrow I’ll take the flight to Brazil, and I’ll start thinking about how to win there too. But today, I want to enjoy it".
Carlos Sainz Jr. won the Mexico City Grand Prix, but not without some apprehension: on a couple of occasions during the race, the Spanish driver asked his engineers via radio to instruct Charles Leclerc to reduce his pace to avoid over-stressing the tires. This request was impossible to comply with, as the Monegasque driver was being pressured by Lando Norris, but it was due to Sainz not knowing how close the British driver was to his teammate. This is also why the winner of the Mexico City Grand Prix wanted to clarify in the press conference the nature of his requests to the Scuderia Ferrari engineers:
"I thought we were pushing too hard, and that’s why, in the heat of the moment, I opened the radio to voice my concern. I thought, given that we were in first and second place, which was our dream scenario, the ideal situation would be to lap at target times to preserve our tires. However, I also understood why Charles was pushing so hard from behind. But that’s also what you do when you’re second and want to win. Anyway, these are racing situations, with battles and moments of tension. Nothing that hasn’t happened to me before, so I understand perfectly".
Carlos Sainz Jr. also talked about the only real situation where he risked his victory with a misfire issue, a small power drop from the engine experienced during the race:
"Fortunately, it was a completely isolated situation. The only time it happened during the entire race was when exiting Turn 3; after jumping the curb, I shifted a bit early and had that problem. It was a bit of a scare, but it had already happened during the weekend, and we know it was altitude-related (Mexico City is over 2,200 meters above sea level and the oxygen is thinner than at sea level, ed.) and related to the mapping. Once I was in front, though, I trusted my pace and my management. I knew I was very fast and that I just had to do what I had planned".
For Scuderia Ferrari, the celebration was completed by Charles Leclerc’s third place, who remained second for a long time but was forced to concede to Lando Norris's McLaren towards the end of the race, even having a scare with a slide in the dirty part of the parabolica that almost sent the Monegasque driver into the wall. Charles Leclerc analyzed the race, emphasizing that the battle between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris was crucial for the Scuderia Ferrari’s result:
"More than a nervous race, it was boring because obviously, when you’re two seconds behind as we were at the start, I had a lot of management to do between brakes, fuel, and temperature. That frustrates you a bit because you’d like to push more, but in the end, we got first and third place, and I don’t think we could have done much more today. McLaren was really strong in the last stint, and we were lucky Max did what he did at the start of the race. In the end, we had a great race, and Carlos was incredible all weekend, at the top from FP1 to the race. For my part, I’m a bit more disappointed. I’m not very happy with my performance: I missed FP1, had issues in FP2, and then never really recovered much. In the race, I was more confident, and I believe the pace was there, but then with the different managements we had to do, we lost some time. More than that was difficult, so the third place with the fastest lap was what we could take".
And he adds:
"At the end of the year, we’ll tally it up and hope it will be enough to win the Constructors’ Championship. You don’t have much time to think in moments of risk; you focus on recovering the car because I knew it was important to get out of that corner well, especially since Lando was very close. I tried to push to the max, lost the car, and that was it. I knew there was space, not much, but enough to recover the car".
After the United States Grand Prix, Scuderia Ferrari also won the Mexico City Grand Prix. Now they aim to do the same in São Paulo to complete a nearly perfect triple. Carlos Sainz Jr.'s success is crucial in the bid to win the Constructors' World Championship. While the Drivers’ Championship mainly concerns Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, in the Constructors' Championship, Scuderia Ferrari has moved to just 29 points behind McLaren. Frédéric Vasseur knows this well and jokingly invites the World Champion and the British driver to battle even more intensely in the future:
"I’ll keep the same attitude; I hope the entire media talks about Verstappen’s penalty and the fight between him and Norris, so no one focuses on us. I didn’t pay much attention to the duel, but as long as they’re fighting among themselves, I’m very happy, and they can continue as much as they want, maybe even do something more".
Then the Team Principal of Scuderia Ferrari gets more serious but doesn’t lose his smile, especially since he’s commenting on a victory and a double podium:
"We have to do our job and see how the next one goes. We got close to a one-two finish; perhaps Charles could have stayed ahead of Norris, but it wasn’t easy to keep the tires at temperature during that stint because we were managing fuel and brakes. He made a small mistake, but overall it was a very positive weekend, and we need to stay optimistic while keeping our focus for the rest of the season. It’s a nice streak of victories, but since Zandvoort, our pace has improved. We brought updates to Monza, and since then, it’s been going very well. Initially, we thought it also depended on the tracks, but we did well in the last races too. I think we will be competitive until the end, but we need to start from zero in Brazil next weekend".
The Mexico City Grand Prix is notoriously the toughest for reliability, with air thinning by over 20% complicating the cooling of brakes and power units. Starting from pole position and racing in clear air is therefore crucial to keeping temperatures under control, as demonstrated by the pace disparity between Carlos Sainz Jr. and Charles Leclerc in the early laps.
"The race in Mexico requires a lot of management for cooling. It’s not easy, and sometimes you can be in crisis or not due to details. Carlos did a great job from the start and was also racing in clear air, a condition that makes everything easier. This is a very strange track. You have to be careful about cooling during the race and prevent these problems. You also won’t know what the environmental conditions will be on Sunday, and today it was a bit cooler. The pace in qualifying also depends on how much risk you want to take for the race. Carlos was asking us to slow Charles down, but that wasn’t possible because Norris was behind him. He immediately understood the situation".
In the end, Lando Norris's McLaren showed better pace than Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, but Vasseur doesn’t seem perturbed:
"I don’t know if it’s due to the tire compounds or the fuel level, but we’re talking about 1-2 tenths of a difference. It’s not a difference that would change the result. I’m a bit disappointed about the lapped cars; it cost us second place. We lost 3 seconds with the lapped cars, also losing temperature in the tires. When you spend five corners behind a driver who’s been shown blue flags, that’s not bad luck, but a mistake by the lapped driver".
The Team Principal of Scuderia Ferrari then reflects on the challenge with McLaren:
"We’re all on a tightrope. A couple of tenths can make the difference between a great weekend and a disappointing one, because when you’re no longer racing in clear air, the story changes completely. When you bring in some updates, it can take a couple of weekends to fine-tune them. That’s how it was for us with the Monza package. At first, we weren’t sure; we thought the performance was track-dependent. Then we had two street circuits, and only on a more traditional circuit like Austin did we draw our conclusions. Now we’re in a much better position. Probably Qatar won’t be the best track for us on paper. At the same time, we didn’t expect to take pole position here, so it’s all open. The most important thing will be to do a good job there. We have to do our best to maximize the weekend".
In this light, Frédéric Vasseur welcomes the media attention on the duel between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris:
"As long as the focus is on Lando and Max, that’s perfect for us. If we stay off the radar, we can keep our focus on what we’re doing. For us, it’s the ideal situation. It’s important not to get distracted. We need to focus on the car, think race by race, and not look at the big picture".
In conclusion, the Team Principal of Scuderia Ferrari expresses satisfaction with the progress the team has made in executing the weekend, in contrast to what was seen earlier in the summer and in mid-September:
"After Baku and Singapore, I was frustrated. I felt there was potential, that we could fight for pole position and even more. If you want to achieve results, you need a good car, but you also need to do a good job. Throughout the season, we struggled even after Monaco, and in the championship assessment, it became clear that we needed to do better. In the last two weekends, I felt like everything was more under control: the starts, the strategies, the pit stops… When you have the pace, everything becomes certainly easier. Overall, though, I think we did well this weekend".
During the Mexico City Grand Prix, once again, Max Verstappen made headlines for his on-track behavior: after the duel with Lando Norris in Austin, where it was the English driver who received a penalty, this time it was the Dutch driver who was punished by the stewards on two occasions, receiving a total of 20 seconds in penalties along with two points deducted from his Super License. But how and why was this type of sanction decided for the Dutch driver? While the race was still ongoing, some suggested that the stewards had applied an aggravating factor to the World Champion in order to punish an alleged intentionality in his maneuvers. In reality, if we look at the official documents published by the FIA explaining the two penalties, a different reality emerges. For both penalties, the FIA cites standard penalties in similar cases: let's go in order. The first penalty pertains to the maneuver at Turn 4 and was assigned for forcing another driver off the track. The document states that Norris was attempting to overtake Verstappen on the outside at Turn 4.
"Norris was ahead of Verstappen at the entry, apex, and exit of the corner when he began to be pushed off track. The Stewards believe that the maneuver was executed safely and in control and that Norris would have been able to complete the maneuver on track had he not been forced off by Verstappen. Norris cut the corner but immediately returned the position he gained to Sainz Jr. The penalty is the standard one in these cases".
The precedents confirm what the stewards wrote: in the Austrian Grand Prix this year, Nico Hulkenberg also received a 10-second penalty for forcing Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin off the track during the Sprint Race. And what about the five-second penalties, you might ask? In reality, those are below the standard - at least concerning the new parameters set for the 2024 season - and are attributed when there are mitigating circumstances. This was the case with Daniel Ricciardo at Monza, who was penalized with only five seconds for forcing Hulkenberg off the track after moving during braking. That was the exception; Verstappen's situation falls under the rule. The second penalty was assigned for Verstappen's maneuver at Turn 8. The irregularity committed by the Dutch driver in this case does not pertain to the overtaking itself, but to having left the track while gaining a lasting advantage. The key term to understand the stewards' decision is indeed lasting advantage in the official statement.
"After the incident at Turn 4, Verstappen attempted to overtake Norris on the inside at Turn 8. Verstappen was ahead at the apex of Turn 8 and would have had the right to racing space. However, he was unable to complete the maneuver on track, left the track, and maintained the lasting advantage gained by taking the position, incidentally forcing Norris off the track. The penalty is the standard one for leaving the track and gaining a lasting advantage".
In this case, the simplest comparison to understand the 10-second penalty instead of five is the incident involving Norris in Austin: the infraction is indeed the same. In that case, the stewards explained that the mitigating factor for the English driver was provided by Verstappen's maneuver, which left little alternative for the McLaren driver. This is clearly explained in the reasoning behind the five-second penalty attributed to Norris in the United States Grand Prix:
"A penalty of 5 seconds is given instead of the 10-second penalty recommended by the guidelines because, after overtaking on the outside, car #4 had few alternatives other than to leave the track due to the proximity of car #1, which also left the track".
The difference is thus clear: Verstappen had an alternative, as it was not another driver's maneuver that forced him off the track. Therefore, since he did not return the position to Norris, the 10-second penalty was imposed. After the battle and controversies that arose in Austin during the direct duel between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, the two main contenders for the Drivers' Championship faced off again in Mexico City, also without episodes that sparked discussion. Due to the penalty and a subsequent error by Charles Leclerc ten laps from the end of the race, Lando Norris finished the Mexico City Grand Prix in second place, denying Ferrari a potential double podium:
"It was a nice race, but very tough. In the early laps, I tried to stay in the race and avoid incidents. With Verstappen, I knew what to expect and tried to avoid it. In the end, I believe we were probably the fastest car today. We are doing a great job as a team, so we’ll keep our heads down, stay focused, and push. A big thank you to the entire team and the fans, who make this race very enjoyable. I focused on my race and tried to concentrate on that, which was the only thing I could control. I can only do my job and do what I need to do. It was a difficult start, as well as the first five laps. But I feel I did a good job avoiding what I needed to avoid, keeping the car intact, without damage. I couldn’t have done more than second place today, so it was a positive day. I would have liked a few more laps because Carlos’s car was getting bigger in front of me, but I’m happy because it could have gone much worse. It was a good performance considering where we started".
After the incident in Spielberg and the duel in Austin, the title fight between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen reached new heights of tension during the Mexico City Grand Prix. However, as mentioned, the stewards ultimately penalized the Dutch driver with a total of 20 seconds.
"I don’t think there’s much to say about it because what happened speaks for itself. As I said, I always go into the race expecting a tough battle with Max. It’s clear that he doesn’t care if he wins or finishes second; his only job is to beat me, and he will sacrifice to do that, as he did today. But I want to have good battles with him. Even tough battles, but fair ones. It will always be difficult to race against him, and he won’t make life easy for anyone, especially for me at this point in the championship. But this time, I believe it wasn’t… It wasn’t a fair and clean race. So I think he got what he deserved. It was probably tougher here than in Austin".
However, Lando Norris clarifies that he does not intend to discuss Verstappen's on-track behavior:
"That’s not my job; off the track we talk about different things, and I know that, in a way, his driving style has nothing to do with me. He’s in a very good position in the standings, he’s way ahead, and he has nothing to lose. People might think it’s the opposite, but it’s not. I’m focused on myself, on doing a good job, and I know I did. It’s not my job to control him; he knows how to drive. I’m sure he knows he perhaps went a bit over the limit. The title? Well, I’m still 47 points behind, and I don’t feel much closer. Although every point helps".
Lando Norris finally analyzes the penalty received by Max Verstappen in this Grand Prix compared to the situations that occurred in Spielberg and Austin:
"In Austria, no one should have received a penalty. Perhaps some of my opinions today differ from then. In Austin, I don’t believe anyone should have been penalized because we both made mistakes, and that’s why there’s talk of changing some rules in the future. However, this time I was ahead on the brakes, after the apex. I avoided incidents, and that’s the difference. I can’t speak for him, but I think he went a bit too far, and the stewards agree. I hope Max acknowledges that he overdid it. I’ve always fought fairly because that’s how I am. It’s my way of driving, and maybe sometimes I’ve lost because I’ve been too fair and not aggressive enough. This is where I need to find a better balance because when you race against the best, you learn new things. I’ll do what I can but in a fair way, and if he doesn’t, then things will go back to how they were. But I believe he wants to race cleanly; I hope he does. Turn 7? No, I didn’t want to let him pass, and there was no need to, but he went off track. The main thing Max said after Austin was that he races within the rules, but here he overtook off the track. We’ll see; next weekend, I expect more tough battles on track".
Even when crossing the finish line in sixth place, the protagonist of the post-race discussions remains Max Verstappen. The message he seems to want to send to his rival is clear: rather than let you pass, we end up in an incident. After the race, Max Verstappen does not openly argue against the penalty imposed on him but adopts a dismissive attitude and certainly confirms that he has no intention of changing his driving style:
"Was the penalty fair? I don’t have particular thoughts about it. The only thing is that staying still for 20 seconds in the pits is really a lot. But the biggest problem today was that we didn’t have pace. I struggled a lot with the tires. We weren’t in the same category as Ferrari and McLaren. Change my driving style? No, I won’t change it, but next time I’ll make sure to have something to drink in the pits. There are ups and downs. Some weeks are better than others. We just have to keep working to make the car competitive again".
In just a few hundred meters, Max Verstappen collected two 10-second penalties. Clearly, the Team Principal of Red Bull Racing, Christian Horner, disagrees, especially with the first penalty when Lando Norris made his move, and in the post-race media session, he presents telemetry from the McLaren driver:
"I think it was very harsh to give two 10-second penalties. Norris was 15 km/h faster that lap and braked later than his fastest lap of the race. Plus, he had 80 kg more fuel on board. He wouldn’t have made the corner; he would have gone off track, as shown in the on-board footage. Overtaking on the outside must remain a feat of bravery. We are risking overturning the rules on overtaking. Drivers now just try to get their nose in front at the apex and then demand space on the exit. Norris released the brakes going in very late to try to be ahead at the apex and gain priority. In all the indoor karting circuits in the world, if you’re on the inside, you control the corner. It’s part of the principles of racing physics. We need to get back to basics; if you’re on the outside, you don’t have priority, otherwise, we’ll end up managing a mess in the last races. The stewards need to agree with the drivers on something sensible rather than what we are witnessing".