In Pictures: Mexico City 2024
The second stop on Formula 1’s long trip around the Americas took place in the Mexican capital, Mexico City, at the circuit named in honor of brothers Pedro and Ricardo Rodríguez, before the circus moves on to São Paulo to conclude the run of three consecutive races.
The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is 4.304 km long, featuring 17 corners and a surface that is relatively gentle on tires. This year, the promoter has resurfaced the section between turns 12 and 15 in the third sector. The very smooth asphalt and the fact that the track is rarely used mean grip levels are quite low at the start of the weekend, with track evolution becoming more pronounced as more rubber is laid down.
Mexico City is located over 2,000 meters above sea level, and the thin air affects car performance, reducing the aerodynamic downforce generated by the cars. One consequence of this is that top speeds are very high, despite the track layout typically requiring maximum downforce.
Formula 1 has always been popular in Mexico, even though only 23 championship races have been held here, all at this circuit, which was inaugurated in 1962. The races have taken place in three periods: from 1963 to 1970, from 1986 to 1992, and from 2015 onwards, with 15 different winners across the 23 editions of the race. Jim Clark has started from pole most often (four times), while Lotus holds the record for the most poles among constructors, with six.
FRIDAY
In the first session, all the drivers, including five rookies - Oliver Bearman (Ferrari), Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), Patricio O’Ward (McLaren), Felipe Drugovich (Aston Martin) and Robert Shwartzman (Sauber) – started off on a set of the Hard compound before switching to Softs. There were two red flags, one to remove debris from the track, the other following a collision between Bearman and Alex Albon in the Williams, and these reduced track time by 20 minutes.
In the early part of FP2, the session was red-flagged for an additional four minutes, totaling 24 minutes, when Russell went off track and crashed heavily into the barriers. However, as this session had been specifically extended to 90 minutes to accommodate Pirelli's in-competition test of the 2025 compounds, almost the entire program was completed. In the final part of FP2, the five race drivers who had not run in the first session were able to use a set of Medium tires to partially compensate for the time lost earlier.
SATURDAY
Carlos Sainz dominated Q3, with both of his timed laps being good enough for pole, making him the only driver to get under the 1:16 barrier. His time of 1:15.946 is 1.220 seconds quicker than last year's time, set by his teammate Charles Leclerc, who was fourth today with a 1:16.265. Splitting the two Ferraris are Max Verstappen in the Red Bull (1:16.171) and Lando Norris in the McLaren (1:16.260). As for their respective teammates, both were eliminated in Q3 (Oscar Piastri 17th with a 1:17.597 and Sergio Perez 18th with a 1:17.611). This was Sainz’s first pole of the season and the sixth of his career. It was the Scuderia’s 253rd pole from 1,093 Grands Prix, and the fifth at this track. Sainz is the fifth driver to secure the number one grid slot this season, and Ferrari is the only team to have both of its drivers on pole this year.
SUNDAY
1200 kilometers separate Austin from Mexico City, but on the racetrack, not much seems to have changed since last week. A Ferrari won in Texas, and a Ferrari won in the Mexican capital. This time, it was Carlos Sainz who crossed the chequered flag first, while his teammate Charles Leclerc came home in third.
Splitting the two Italian cars was Lando Norris. For the Spaniard, this marked career win number four, and his second this season after Melbourne. It’s Ferrari’s 248th win, their second in a row and fifth this year, making it the most wins they've scored in a season since 2018. It’s also the Scuderia’s third victory at the track named after the Rodríguez brothers, following Jacky Ickx’s 1970 triumph and Alain Prost’s 1990 win.
The Safety Car was deployed right from the opening lap following a collision between Yuki Tsunoda and Alex Albon, which led to both retiring. In the first few laps after the restart, the race was action-packed with drivers passing and repassing, giving the Stewards plenty of work to do. Then, Norris began pursuing Verstappen. On Lap 10, Norris initially tried a move around the outside of Turn 4 but was forced onto the grass. He had another look at Turn 8, where he thought he was ahead of Verstappen, but was pushed wide again. Both incidents resulted in penalties for Verstappen, with the stewards handing him a pair of 10-second penalties, which were served during his pit stop.
After that, the race settled down, especially at the front, before springing back to life in the closing stages with duels between Leclerc and Norris, and the Mercedes pair. The only unusual aspect was Verstappen’s climb through the field after dropping down with a double penalty totaling 20 seconds. He eventually made his way up to sixth place.
With a 'free stop' after losing second place to Norris, Leclerc pitted for a set of soft tires and secured the extra point for the fastest lap on the last lap of the Grand Prix.
Verstappen’s lead in the Drivers’ standings has now shrunk to 47 points ahead of Norris, and 71 ahead of Leclerc. In the Constructors’ standings, McLaren still leads with 566 points, while Ferrari has 537 and has moved ahead of Red Bull, now third with 512.
Carlos Sainz was voted Driver of the Day by F1.com fans.
NEXT STOP: The land of Samba, BRAZIL 🇧🇷
Excerpts of this article provided by Pirelli S.p.A.
