Stewards penalise Verstappen as Sainz wins in Mexico
Published:
October 28, 2024

Sainz started the race from pole position as he continued demonstrating impressive speed following his stellar showing in Austin last week. Yet the Spaniard didn't lead out of the opening corners after the long run down to Turn 1. Verstappen secured a better launch down to the right-hander and sent his Red Bull car to the apex in his trademark overtaking move. Sainz cut the next corner to avoid contact, briefly regaining the lead before promptly letting the Dutchman through at Turn 4 before any outside intervention.

Any further attacking to regain the lead had to wait. Sainz's 2025 teammate, Alex Albon, had tangled with Yuki Tsunoda's VCARB, and the two drivers became Lap 1 retirements. Tsunoda and Alpine's Pierre Gasly had sandwiched the Williams car, and the three merged together when they reached the first braking zone. Unable to back out in time, Albon's front-left wheel tapped Tsunda's right side to send the Japanese racer into a spin while the Williams FW46's suspension broke to make it two retirements from one corner.

Stewards penalise Verstappen as Sainz wins in Mexico

A lengthy Safety Car slowdown to recover Tsunoda's car let Verstappen remain unchallenged in the lead. The restart changed all that, though, and the slower Red Bull pace of recent races remained Verstappen's weakness. Sainz wasted no time closing in on the rear wing and used the slipstream and DRS down the main straight to thrust for the lead. A late-braking overtake on the inside secured P1, and Sainz received a second DRS dose down to Turn 4 to defend from any immediate counterattack.

Verstappen's difficult day was just beginning as Norris was the next driver to attack the reigning champion. Powering down into Turn 4 on the next lap, Norris' speed advantage over the Red Bull had him get alongside Verstappen, but on the outside of the upcoming left-hander. Like many of the pair's 2024 duels, Verstappen ran the McLaren off the track and forced Norris to trundle over the grass.

Norris returned to the track behind Sainz but with Verstappen on his tail. There wouldn't be a long wait for the next flashpoint as Verstappen aggressively dove down Norris' inside at Turn 7. The fast left-hander isn't ordinarily an overtaking spot, and it was soon apparent why. Verstappen's speed pushed Norris out wide again, and even the Red Bull couldn't make the corner. The brawling between the two had even let Charles Leclerc through to P2, leaving Ferrari with another 1-2 lead for the second consecutive week.

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Stewards penalise Verstappen as Sainz wins in Mexico

It was clear that Verstappen had more interest in finishing in front of Norris than racing for a win he seemingly thought he couldn't claim. His problem was that the stewards also noticed and soon slapped the Red Bull driver with two 10-second penalties for two incidents. Firstly, for forcing another driver off the track, and then for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. Verstappen needed to remain stationary for 20 seconds in his pit stop before swapping his Pirelli tyres.

This intense action wasn't limited to the podium positions, either, with the entire field pushing hard. Sergio Perez and Oscar Piastri fell out of Qualifying in Q1 and spent their Sunday recovering places from the back. The out-of-position duo slowly fought through the field, but Perez's push forward got stuck at Liam Lawson. Speculation that Lawson might replace the Mexican added spice to the fight for P10, and the pair came together in the Turn 4-5 complex, damaging Perez's floor and further ruining his race.

While Piastri eventually recovered to P8 to help McLaren score some much-needed points for the tight World Constructors' Championship. Meanwhile, Perez ended his home race in last place. The lack of a top-10 finish from Perez meant Red Bull fell behind Ferrari in the standings, dropping to P3. It now seems it'll be a head-to-head battle between F1's oldest teams, McLaren and Ferrari, for the teams' title, illustrating how much damage Perez's terrible 2024 is doing for the Milton Keynes team.

Stewards penalise Verstappen as Sainz wins in MexicoStewards penalise Verstappen as Sainz wins in Mexico