Mexican Grand Prix; Brilliant weekend for some drivers, whilst others struggled amidst the conditions.
- Cassandra Nicholls
- Nov 5
- 5 min read
Mexico was definitely a mixed bag for the drivers, with some finding success over the weekend and others purely struggling to keep up.
From qualifying we knew it was going to be a tough ask for McLaren Driver, Oscar Piastri starting from P8. Our top 3 from Qualifying was Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton starting P3 and Charles Leclerc P2, whilst Lando Norris was starting on pole position. It was going to be a test for the top 10, with the conditions not necessarily working in all their favours.
With many drivers going off the track in the first corner, it was Norris leading from both Ferrari drivers, even with Leclerc going wide. Norris would later go on to win the race. This would be just ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc who was able to maintain that P2, with a very lucky Virtual Safety Car called on the second last lap. Finishing just behind Leclerc, was Max Verstappen. He would have really liked for a battle with the Ferrari driver, but it was just not meant to be that day.
Lewis Hamilton was forced to finish P8, after receiving a 10 second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. It was an overall devastating result given how well he had gone in qualifying, and due to damage to the floor, it also impacted his result. It was also not the race for McLaren driver, Oscar Piastri who had difficulties with the start and was forced to remain behind the Mercedes duo for quite some time without making a dent into their pace. This hindered his opportunity to go for a podium result. Piastri would eventually have to settle for P5. Redbull almost had another weekend with double points, but unfortunately Yuki Tsunoda was forced to fall into P11, and just missing out on points opportunity again. Tsunoda has had a very on and off season, with some great highlights and some moments to forget. Has he started to warm up to the car, or is it too late for him?
The Mercedes duo had a quiet weekend, aside from George Russells various comments about needing to be switched as he was under threat from Piastri. They would go for a decent result, but probably not one they imagined, finishing P6 with Kimi Antonelli and P7 with George Russell.
Ahead of Piastri and officially matching the team’s best result of P4 was Oliver Bearman in the Haas. This was a very impressive result for the young driver, who we know has plenty of potential in the future. He was able to defend against a few hard hitters and maintained his position on track. A very great weekend overall for Haas as well with Esteban Ocon finishing in P9. It was a double points finish for this duo and a very exciting move in the championship as they move into P8.
Your final driver sitting in the top 10, was a very quiet Gabriel Bortoleto. It was not the result we expected, and he just managed to creep into the top 10. A very terrific drive for the young rookie, who we also know has lots of potential as seen in F2. His teammate, Nico Hulkenberg unfortunately was one of our DNFs from the race. A difficult result for Hulkenberg to deal with, given the car looked decent over the weekend.
Alex Albon was another driver with a decent result, although it was not points, it was the ability to drive their car in the way he did. After starting P17, it was only up for him, and he managed a decent P12 finish. His teammate, Carlos Sainz however was another driver who was forced to DNF, on the second last lap with an issue within the car. A baffling situation given he had almost finished the race.
In P13, was Isack Hadjar, and again he is another driver who has on and off weekends. We know he can perform and do well, but we have also seen some not-so-great results. A P13 finish is not too bad for Hadjar, with plenty of work and only up to go. As for Liam Lawson, he was another unfortunate DNF and with the controversy around the Marshals vs Lawson, he had a weekend that was not for the faint hearted. This was an interesting conversation with questions being thrown as to why they were on track at that point in time and asking why Lawson hadn’t slowed under double waved yellows. All we know is that we’re glad no drivers or marshals were injured.
Lance Stroll probably did not have the result he would have liked with a P14 finish. The Aston Martin has not been the strongest midfield car this season. Similarly, Fernando Alonso was our 4th DNF after what appeared to be frustration from the veteran driver. Overall, a tough result for Aston Martin, especially if they are wanting to fight those around them in the championship battle.
Finally, your last two drivers, Alpine. Pierre Gasly finished in P15, whilst Franco Colapinto was P16. This team has had a season from driver changes to no performance in that car. It’s not a great season for Alpine but let’s hope for them to look better with the changes and upcoming new regulations in 2026.
Whilst we are still talking about a big Constructors battle, the Drivers’ Championship gets even closer, with Lando Norris retaking the lead by only 1 point. This is the point in which Piastri needs to pick up if he wants that championship for himself, or will Verstappen ruin McLaren's opportunity and go for a 5th title?
We’ll have to wait and see, but for now the battle continues as we head to Brazil this weekend for the Brazilian Grand Prix. We know that weather is a big factor at Sao Paulo, what will it look like this year having seen some scary conditions, including thunderstorms that turn the daytime sky into night, or the wet conditions that no one can drive in. Be sure to watch this weekend, you won’t want to miss it!
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