Record-Breaking Verstappen Dominates In Maxico
Max Verstappen made it 16 Wins in the 2023 Formula 1 Season as he dominated the Mexico City Grand Prix ahead of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
The Biggest Talking Points
Max Verstappen got a terrific launch at the start to get past Carlos Sainz and alongside Charles Leclerc, but home hero Sergio Perez got an even better start to make it 3-wide into Turn 1. Unfortunately for Checo, he ended up getting spun around after contact with Charles which ultimately saw the Mexican superstar retire after just 1 lap. I feel really sorry for Sergio and I felt he was quite unlucky. However, having said that, I don’t think Leclerc did anything wrong either. As the Race went on, Max continued to build his lead whilst Lewis Hamilton was able to undercut Carlos Sainz for P3. Lando Norris and Yuki Tsunoda, two drivers that both pitted pretty early, ended up finding themselves in 8th and 9th respectively after the first round of pitstops. Then, the second big moment of the Race happened as Kevin Magnussen suffered a big crash which forced the Red Flag to be brought out. In fairness to K-Mag, it looks like the rear suspension on his car broke, but it doesn’t change the fact that we won’t be seeing that Haas car again.
When the Race got back underway, Verstappen was able to keep the lead down into Turn 1 whilst George Russell was able to clear Daniel Ricciardo for P5. Lando Norris also had a terrible start which dropped him down to P14, but he was able to quickly pass the slower cars. Back at the front, Lewis Hamilton pulled off a good move to overtake Charles Leclerc for P2 whilst Yuki Tsunoda, who was having a terrific race, collided with Oscar Piastri at Turn 1 which ultimately saw the Alpha Tauri drop out of the points completely. The main action for the rest of the Mexico City Grand Prix then came from Lando as he pulled off move after move to eventually end up in a brilliant 5th position whilst Russell was just able to hold off Danny Ric for P6.
The Standout Drives in the Race
I’ve given out four 10’s for the Mexico City Grand Prix and the first one is obviously for Max Verstappen. Max is simply unbeatable right now and I’d be stunned if he didn’t win the remaining three rounds of the season. The second driver I’ve given a perfect 10 to is Lewis Hamilton as I felt like he got the maximum out of his Mercedes. The third driver I’ve given out maximum points to is Lando Norris and the reason for that is not only did he pull of a terrific recovery drive, but he also seemed to be the only driver that could actually make an overtake. The final driver I’ve given a 10 to is Daniel Ricciardo because I felt like Danny Ric had a super day and he was also a little bit unlucky with the Red Flag. I also felt that Charles Leclerc had a great day to end up on the Podium whilst Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon scored good points respectively.
Drivers who had a Shocker
In total, I’ve given out two 1’s for the Mexico City Grand Prix and the first one is for Valtteri Bottas. Bottas spun round Lance Stroll for no reason near the end of the Grand Prix and his post-race penalty meant he ended up finishing last of the running cars which tells you everything you need to know. The other driver that I’ve given out the worst possible grade to is Fernando Alonso and the reason for this is Fernando was incredibly slow and I find it a bit baffling. I also thought both Zhou Guanyu and Kevin Magnussen had poor days (even though I’m letting Magnussen off a bit because I don’t think the crash was fully his fault).
Overall Race Results and My Ratings
Max Verstappen: 10
Lewis Hamilton: 10 (FL)
Charles Leclerc: 9
Carlos Sainz: 8
Lando Norris: 10
George Russell: 5
Daniel Ricciardo: 10
Oscar Piastri: 4
Alex Albon: 8
Esteban Ocon: 6
Pierre Gasly: 5
Yuki Tsunoda: 4
Nico Hulkenberg: 4
Zhou Guanyu: 2
Valtteri Bottas: 1
Logan Sargeant: 4 (DNF)
Lance Stroll: 4 (DNF)
Fernando Alonso: 1 (DNF)
Kevin Magnussen: 2 (DNF)
Sergio Perez: - (DNF)
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