2022 GP Mexico
Breaking two records, Verstappen takes his 14th win of the season at the Mexico Grand Prix!
It was cheers of encouragement that reverberated through the sold out crowd on Sunday for hometown favourite, Sergio Perez. Together with high altitudes and an uncompromisingly fast track, the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez offers several overtaking opportunities and a unique stadium-like experience for drivers and fans alike.
With lights out, pole sitter, Verstappen made quick work advancing ahead of both Mercedes drivers, leaving them to battle each other for P2. Beginning the race on soft tires, Verstappen appeared to struggle with tire degradation once he had reached Lap 20. However, upon pitting 6 laps later, the two-time world champion went on to demonstrate complete control, extending his lead to over 15 seconds as he crossed the checkered flag.
By establishing his victory in Mexico, Verstappen has now broken the record for most wins in a single season. Previously held by both Sebastian Vettel (2013) and Michael Schumacher (2004). In addition, the Red Bull driver has secured 416 points in the drivers standings, earning the record for the most points attained in a single year.
With two races remaining, expectations are high for the Dutchman to continue his commanding run of the most successful season in Formula One history.
Starting the race in a tight contest between teammate George Russell, Hamilton managed to push forward delivering consistency on medium tires. By doing so, he was able to remain less than two seconds behind Verstappen. However, by Lap 30, a questionable tire swap to hards saw a sudden drop in the Mercedes driver’s pace, eliminating his chances of a potential attempt at P1 and resulting in a P2 finish.
Qualifying in 4th, Sergio Perez managed to preserve his position until he pitted for mediums on Lap 24. With a five-second pit stop, the Red Bull driver lost crucial time falling to P7 behind both Ferarris. Despite the setback, Perez went on the attack, overtaking both Sainz and Leclerc much to the fans delight. He eventually went on to secure P3, landing on the podium for a second consecutive year at the track.
With a similar tire strategy as his teammate, Russell found himself struggling to find pace with hard tires after his first pit stop. Vocalizing his frustrations, the team opted for a soft tire swap with 2 laps remaining where Russell secured fastest lap of the race along with P4.
A frustrating weekend for Ferrari. Beginning with a crash for Leclerc during FP2 that carried into an underwhelming qualifying session. Both drivers were unable to advance any further than where they started on Sunday, resulting in a P5 finish for Sainz followed by Leclerc with P6.
In a remarkable comeback, Daniel Ricciardo had his best performance of the season. Displaying efficiency with a soft tire strategy, the Mclaren driver climbed from P11 to P8 while managing to hold out until Lap 44 before pitting for another set. With a late overtake attempt on Tsunoda that forced the AlphaTauri driver to retire, Ricciardo was hit with a 10-second penalty. And while this had the potential to be a considerable impediment, the 8 time race winner found the strength to persevere, overtaking Bottas, Alonso and Ocon to finish with P7 and Driver of the Day.
Following behind Ricciardo, Alpine’s Esteban Ocon with P8.
Taking P9, Lando Norris with Alfa Romeo’s, Bottas rounding out the top ten.
In an earlier attempt to overtake Stroll, Gasly ran wide forcing the Aston Martin driver off the track. As a result, he incurred a five-second penalty along with a penalty point against his license ending with P11. Now with only two points left before his current set expires in May 2023, the AlphaTauri drivers margin of error has thinned considerably in the prevention of a possible race ban.
Taking P12 was Williams driver Alex Albon with Zhou finishing with P13.
In one of his last races of his career, Vettel secured P14.
Starting in P20 due to a 3 grid penalty from his collision with Alonso in Austin, Stroll took P15.
Both Haas drivers struggled to find pace as Schumacher finished with P16, and Magnussen, who began the race with a 5 place grid penalty due to a damaged gearbox in FP1, finished with P17.
The final driver to finish, Latifi ended his race with P18.
Fernando Alonso was forced to retire with 7 laps remaining due to engine issues.
Up next is the São Paulo Grand Prix hosted at the historic Interlagos track in Brazil!
By Samantha Horvath
