Carlos Sainz of Ferrari claimed victory at the Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday, capitalizing on penalties handed to Red Bull’s championship leader Max Verstappen for his aggressive driving against title contender Lando Norris, which ultimately saw him finish in sixth place.
Sainz was under pressure from the two title challengers in the first lap but once the Spaniard weathered the early storm, it was a fairly easy afternoon for the former McLaren man in Mexico.
Verstappen began the race in second but quickly overtook pole-sitter Sainz to take the lead. However, the first lap was interrupted by a caution after Yuki Tsunoda collided with Alex Albon, resulting in Tsunoda crashing out and Albon retiring due to damage.
The restart was intense, with the Ferraris battling Verstappen and Norris for the position, leading to another clash between the title contenders for the second week in a row. Last weekend, Norris was penalized for overtaking off the track and the tables shifted at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez when Verstappen received a 10-second penalty for colliding with Norris and pushing him off the track.
The Dutchman received another 10-second penalty for gaining a position after leaving the track, resulting in a total of 20 seconds to be served during his first pit stop.
Norris’s podium finish not only reduced Verstappen’s Championship lead to 47 points but also had him keeping an eye on both Ferrari drivers, who are currently in excellent form. With their double podium performance, Ferrari has overtaken Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship standings.
Will the Brazilian GP be Sergio Perez’s last race with Red Bull?
Unfortunately, Perez was unable to meet the expectations of his enthusiastic fans or his team, as he finished in 17th place on Sunday. Following the disappointing result, team principal Christian Horner did not provide any assurances that Perez would remain with Red Bull Racing for the remainder of the season.
Horner had confidently stated just two days prior that the contract extension Perez signed earlier this year was secure until 2025. However, given the performance clauses in his contract, when The Associated Press inquired whether Perez would complete the season, Horner declined to affirm the driver’s position for the remaining four races.
However, Horner did confirm that Perez would be behind the wheel next weekend in Brazil. The Red Bull boss acknowledged that the Mexican driver “had a dreadful weekend,” which began with his elimination in the first round of Saturday qualifying, leaving him to start from 18th place. Perez then faced further difficulties at the start, where he was positioned outside his box and incurred a five-second penalty.
His race took a turn for the worse when he engaged in a wheel-to-wheel duel with Liam Lawson from Red Bull’s sister team, resulting in contact that damaged Perez’s car and compromised its competitiveness.
Read More: Why Was McLaren’s Right To Review Over Norris’s Austin Penalty Rejected?
Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
