The Mexican Grand Prix was one of the most thrilling races fans have had all season. It got off to a messy and chaotic start during lap one, but ultimately Lando Norris, the new championship leader, came out on top.
Lap One Antics
Once it was lights off and away we go, it got hectic, with all the top drivers fighting for first position. Max Verstappen and George Russel were along beside each other battling for P4 while the two Ferrari’s tried closing in on Norris, this allowed Charles Leclerc to temporarily steal the lead but in doing so cut the corner. Lando Norris quickly took it back while the other Mclaren slid down the order to P9.
Battle of the Best
The Grand Prix showed many different battles throughout the course of the race with one of the most significant being between former title rivals, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.
During lap 6 Lewis had to defend from the car behind, he ended up going off track causing him to take the escape route incorrectly and in doing so, giving himself an unfair advantage. The FIA confirmed this shortly after by giving the British driver a ten second penalty to be served during his pit stop.
Midfield Mix ups
The midfield teams always make it a complicated race start when their competing for track position and this race was no different. Stroll and Colapinto played a game of bumper cars on the first lap as well as Liam Lawson and Carlos Sainz taking a hit at the first corner. That incident later caused both Lawson and Sainz to retire from the race. Lawson’s being at the beginning of the race on lap 5 with Sainz retiring on lap 70. Another retiree was Fernando Alonso on lap 36 due to brake issues. These teams always manage to keep viewers on the edge of their seats.
VSC Drama
As the final few laps of the race neared Verstappen was gaining on Leclerc for P2 and it looked like he was planning to make the lunge on him soon however due to a late safety car the excitement was cut short. The virtual safety car was called on lap 70 due to Carlos Sainz pulling into the side having to retire because of various issues with his car.
This sparked controversy as many people believe that Sainz was safely tucked out of the way to allow the hardcore racing to continue. We did get a green light again on lap 71 before the checkered flag, but it was too little too late for Max too make the move stick. This was close to being one of the best of Verstappen’s comebacks that we’ve seen in a while.
Driver of the Day
The Mexican Grand Prix brought a variety of surprises with Haas driver Oliver Bearman being one of them, managing to bring it home in fourth. Ollie pulled off a spectacular driver today as he overtook Verstappen in the early stages and even looked in contention for a potential podium. He ended up settling for fourth place making it is career best position and earning him the title of driver of the day.
Championship Showdown
What does this mean for the championship? Lando Norris is now the new championship leader with Oscar Piastri 1 point behind after leading from Saudia Arabia onwards. One can never rule out Max Verstappen though. He’s only 36 points away from the championship leader, making it still possible, however Norris has the odds in his favour. The championship showdown will continue during the Brazilian Grand Prix.
| Driver’s Championship | Position | Points |
| Lando Norris | 1st | 357 |
| Oscar Piastri | 2nd | 356 |
| Max Verstappen | 3rd | 321 |
Featured image credit: ProtoplasmaKid via Wikimedia
