Ferrari had the chance to add another flag in Maranello and Carlos Sainz completed the outstanding performance from Saturday with a perfect drive on Sunday in the Mexican Grand Prix. In Formual 1, winning has always been a combination of factors that Ferrari showed it has in place for the second consecutive weekend.
Now let’s take a detailed look at how events unfolded for the Italian side at the 4.304-kilometre Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City:
The starting grid is ready. The cars fire up, and the installation lap is about to begin. The two Ferrari drivers receive final instructions on how to approach the start. Let’s take a look at the weather and track conditions: air temperature at 20.4 degrees celsius, track surface temperature at 39.6 degrees celsius, humidity at 52%, and wind speed at 2.1 kilometers per hour from the west.
The SF-24 cars are making their way back to the grid positions where they will start. Before reaching the final straight, two burnouts are performed to heat up the rear tires. The top ten drivers are all on new Medium tires. Only six drivers have chosen Hard tires, aiming to extend the first stint of the race as long as possible. No one has opted for Softs. Sainz doesn’t get a bad start, but Verstappen has a better launch, allowing him to reach Turn 1 first.
The Spaniard tries to pass on the outside but is forced to cut over the grass. Although he returns to the track in the lead, two corners later he gives the position back to Max to avoid a possible penalty. Charles, meanwhile, maintains fourth position. They’re not even six corners in before the first Safety Car appears, as Yuki Tsunoda, after contact in the midfield, loses control and crashes into the barriers. Recovering the car takes time, and during this period, Ferrari’s radio channels are buzzing with discussions on managing the cars’ operating temperatures.
Meanwhile, they have to keep the front tires warm, which tend to cool down too much. This explains the frequent weaving along the track. On lap 5, everything seems ready to give Bernd Maylander the signal to return to the pits. Thankfully, data from car number 55 confirms there’s no damage to the underside of the Ferrari, which had briefly ventured over the grass and bounced around. For the restart, both Sainz and Leclerc are instructed to use K1 overboost up to Turn 1. Everything is set to resume racing.
Verstappen’s launch is strong, preventing Carlos Sainz from attacking. Among the top positions, nothing changes. On the next lap, the DRS can be used. It will be interesting to see how this affects the race. Indeed, it does have an impact, as the Spaniard seizes the first opportunity to pass Max in Turn 1. Behind Carlos, a fierce battle unfolds between Lando and Max, which ultimately causes them both to lose position to Charles Leclerc, who moves up to second. The Monegasque driver quickly catches up to Carlos and begins to put pressure on him.
The two Ferrari cars are leading the race. Track engineers are urging caution, as the goal is to carefully manage both tire wear and temperatures. Drivers are instructed to lift and coast and to avoid pushing too hard in the rapid Turn 2 sector. For Charles Leclerc, there’s talk of switching to Plan B. A radio message informs him that Verstappen has received a 10-second penalty for an overly aggressive move on Lando. Max is currently running right ahead of Norris in third position.
Meanwhile, Charles is pressing close to Carlos, now with the advantage of DRS. The Spaniard isn’t pleased, pointing out that such pressure is entirely unnecessary for race strategy. The Italian team is trying to keep both drivers calm. The race is still long, and for now, the priority is to build a safety buffer against the following pack. The race has reached a steady phase, with the two Ferraris in full control, steadily gaining on their pursuers. By lap 21, Sainz holds a seven-second lead over Verstappen.
The tires and balance of the Ferrari cars are stable, according to the radio message. Leclerc, to avoid the turbulent slipstream from car 55, creates some space by distancing himself from his Maranello teammate. He then makes a mistake that costs him time. In the last few laps, Carlos has been pushing hard, which has allowed him to build a lead over the Monegasque. Meanwhile, Max is struggling with tire wear, and Norris is closing in. Because of this, Verstappen heads to the pit lane to change his tires, which will give us a clearer look at the British driver’s true pace.
At the same time, Charles is also starting to struggle with his tires, prompting a check on their condition. His lap times clearly show this, averaging at least half a second slower than his teammate’s. The gap between the two Ferrari cars now widens to seven seconds by lap 30. From Carlos’s on-board footage, the handling looks very precise, while Charles Leclerc is showing some instability. On lap 30, Lando Norris enters the pit lane for his only stop.
Ferrari responds to McLaren’s stop and calls Leclerc into the pits. No front-wing adjustment is made during the tire change, as they opt to fit Hard tires. When he rejoins, the gap to Norris remains the same. Then, it’s Carlos’s turn, although he felt ready to stay out longer, but the team insists on stopping him anyway. Past the halfway mark, the two SF-24 cars are leading the race. Lando immediately pushes hard on his Hard tires, so Charles tries to respond by maintaining a five-second advantage over the McLaren driver.
Considering this, Ferrari instructs both drivers to increase their pace. With 30 laps left until the checkered flag, the Ferrari drivers’ tires are in good condition. They can afford to take a few more risks to widen the gap over Lando, who is running a strong race and isn’t backing down. Ferrari also reduces lift and coast instructions. Weather conditions are not ideal, with reports of a few drops in the pit lane, though rain isn’t expected at the moment. The fuel tanks are gradually emptying.
As a result, car weight is decreasing, and so is the need to manage tires in the fast corners of the second sector. The race is somewhat uneventful; we certainly couldn’t call it thrilling. The two Ferraris expected an easier lead, but the British driver from the Woking team isn’t letting up. Lando is closing the gap, aiming to catch up with Leclerc’s Ferrari, which is about four seconds ahead. Carlos Sainz becomes frustrated as the lapped drivers in front of him with flashing blue flags don’t slow down to let him pass. He radios in, angrily calling for penalties.
Tensions are high with so much at stake. Norris is relentless, and the pressure is intense for Charles. Ferrari race engineer Bryan Bozzi informs him that soon he’ll have some slipstream support. But Leclerc is out of luck as he encounters traffic. Even the blue flags are ineffective, as the backmarkers don’t let him pass. Charles Leclerc complains, calling the situation ridiculous, as it’s cost him nearly three seconds. Because of this, Norris is now right on the tail of car number 16. Bozzi urges him to focus in this challenging moment.
Leclerc must give his all, as Norris is now right behind him. Beyond possible penalties for the lapped drivers, it’s unacceptable for two backmarkers to ruin the race for the front-runners. Charles Leclerc switches into push mode, driving like mad to secure this result, with ten laps remaining to reach the checkered flag, but is slowed down by Lawson and especially by Lance Stroll. Charles holds his ground for only two laps before making a costly mistake coming out of the last corner, losing control on acceleration. Norris seizes the opportunity to pass and quickly pulls away from the Ferrari.
With the Hard tires, the McLaren’s pace is very strong, outpacing Ferrari in this final part of the Mexican Grand Prix. Fortunately, in the first stint, Carlos Sainz was very fast, and Lando Norris was held up by Max Verstappen. This allowed him to build a crucial gap that’s now essential to reach the finish line first. The last few laps proceed smoothly. The only notable event is a tire change for Charles to try for the additional point for the fastest lap of the race. Ferrari loses the 1-2 finish but secures their second victory in seven days, this time with an outstanding Carlos! Chapeau.
— see video above —
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