Verstappen games F1 system again as Norris loses shot at Mexican GP win

The reprise of the Max Verstappen/Lando Norris controversy from a week ago dominated the attention of the Mexican Grand Prix, as the Red Bull driver played with the rules once more in his attempts at limiting title rival Norris’s points tally. This time he got slapped with two 10sec penalties for two really egregious moves made within seconds of each other, one pushing the overtaking Norris off track, the other in retaking the place by driving completely off the circuit himself. If he sounded fairly unconcerned about the severity of the penalties, that’s probably because it still succeeded in compromising Norris’s Grand Prix in a McLaren which had a lot more race pace than Verstappen’s Red Bull.

But as much race pace as the victorious Ferrari of Carlos Sainz? Maybe. Certainly, in the second stint, with both on the hard tyres, Norris was able to catch and pass the second Ferrari of Charles Leclerc. He took out 10 of the 15sec he’d trailed Sainz by after Verstappen had held him up at Red Bull pace through the first stint, having completed his fouls. So again, Verstappen had gamed the system in that his ‘punishment’ came after Norris had been compromised.

The lap before Verstappen’s clash with Norris, he’d been overtaken successfully – by Sainz. Verstappen had beaten the pole-sitting Ferrari off the line – which was a serious blow to Carlos. Because Ferrari had chosen cooling levels around this thin-aired track based on the confidence of running at the front in clear air. With anything less than clear air it was all a bit marginal. So Sainz wasn’t up for hanging around and waiting for the stops. He was in a faster car than the Red Bull, so spent a few laps forcing Verstappen to use up his battery – then pounced. From a long way back, taking Verstappen by surprise.

A lap later Leclerc was the beneficiary of the Verstappen/Norris incidents, putting Ferrari 1-2. Leclerc was a little off Sainz’s pace all weekend, not helped by the track time lost to Oliver Bearman taking his car for FP1 and the damage incurred with the accident there with Alex Albon, which delayed Leclerc’s running into FP2. But even beyond that, Leclerc admitted he’s just not at his best on low-downforce tracks, that his attacking style doesn’t seem to work as well as Sainz’s. So he’d qualified only fourth. But once up to second, he pressed on and got close enough to Sainz that Carlos was on the radio complaining that pushing like this was “completely unnecessary”. It sorted itself out through that marginal cooling. As soon as Leclerc was within 1.6sec of Sainz, so everything got too hot, especially the brakes. Leclerc would spend all the rest of the first stint, and some of the second, lift-and-coasting. Meaning Sainz’s route to victory was clear.

Norris’s McLaren seemed to love the hard tyres he switched to for the second stint and he quickly closed down Leclerc. Recognising there was “no way,” he could match Norris’s pace, Charles was hoping he could defend long enough that the McLaren would overheat its brakes and/or PU and/or tyres in the thin air. But it was nothing like as marginal as the Ferrari in its cooling – which might be why Sainz had been able to be so much faster in qualifying. The McLaren kept coming, Leclerc had a big tank slapper coming out the final corner a few laps from the end, and Norris was free to chase down Sainz. He fell short by 4.7sec. Leclerc made a late stop for a fresh set of tyres for the fastest lap point, without dropping a place, so far behind was the fourth place Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton.

There’d been an almost race-long dice between the two Mercedes, with Hamilton ahead initially, then being passed by George Russell who then took some front wing damage on a kerb, contributing to him being repassed. The lead Mercedes was 44sec behind Sainz by the end and only 13sec clear of the sixth place Verstappen, who’d spent an additional 20sec in the pits for his naughtiness.

Kevin Magnussen held off Oscar Piastri (recovering from his disastrous qualifying) at the flag for seventh ahead of Nico Hülkenberg and Pierre Gasly. Home hero Sergio Perez didn’t recover from his disastrous qualifying as well as Piastri. From 18th, he was up to 12th, took a 5sec penalty for starting out of position, then clashed with Liam Lawson, damaging the Red Bull’s sidepod. He finished last after an attempt at fastest lap. But he did finish – which Fernando Alonso could not do in his 400th grand prix, the Aston’s brakes too hot to continue.