The Hermanos Rodríguez Racetrack had a winning Ferrari, something that had not happened since 1990
When it seemed Sergio Pérez was on track for an epic comeback, a combination of Liam Lawson’s aggressive defense and a penalty quashed his hopes at the Mexico City Grand Prix. The race, held at the 4.304-kilometer Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, saw Carlos Sainz of Ferrari secure a commanding victory.
Sainz’s performance was stellar in a race scheduled for 71 laps. Meanwhile, Red Bull faced disappointment, dropping to third in the Constructors’ Championship standings. Max Verstappen’s lead over Lando Norris shrank from 57 to 46 points after he received a 20-second penalty following a collision with Norris, leaving him in sixth place. Norris took second, followed by Charles Leclerc in third.
Checo Pérez, who began in 18th position, climbed up to 13th and attempted a pass on Liam Lawson of the Racing Bulls team. However, a collision with Lawson ultimately ended Pérez’s race. Earlier, Pérez had also been penalized five seconds for a false start due to an incorrect position in his starting box.
McLaren now leads the Constructors’ standings with 567 points, followed by Ferrari at 536 and Red Bull with 512.
Crash at the start
The start at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez was as intense as ever, with Max Verstappen seizing the lead by taking the inside line through Turn 1. Sainz attempted to counter but was forced off track in the process.
Meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda tried to overtake Alex Albon on the left side, leading to an unfortunate collision due to limited space. The Racing Bulls car ended up against the wall, with Albon suffering tire and suspension damage. This incident brought out yellow flags and the safety car.
Strong Start for Checo, but a Penalty Followed
Checo Pérez launched off aggressively, moving up from 18th to 13th place in a daring outside pass through the pack, leaving drivers like Piastri, Bottas, Colapinto, Albon, and Tsunoda behind. However, he soon came under investigation for a potential false start, a fact communicated by his engineer, Hugh Bird.
Checo defended his start, responding, “No, it was a great start.” But by lap 5, still under yellow flags, he was officially penalized with a 5-second penalty for the false start.
In response, Checo asked over the radio, “How did it look? I don’t think it was [a false start].” Bird encouraged him, saying, “Great start, let’s push from now on.”
By lap 7, the green flag was out, and Checo, on hard tires, sought to advance further despite the setback of the penalty.
CREDITS:
Director: Alejandro Bernal
Text : Max Hackenbroich
