Carlos Sainz Wins Mexico Grand Prix, Max Verstappen Handed Double Penalties

Carlos Sainz clinched his first win in seven months in a dramatic grand prix which saw Max Verstappen handed 20 seconds worth of penalties

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Carlos Sainz clinched his first win in seven months in a dramatic grand prix which saw Max Verstappen handed 20 seconds worth of penalties.

The Spaniard won the Mexico Grand Prix, marking Ferrari’s first win at the venue since 1990 and the fourth of his career.

The race saw Red Bull’s Max Verstappen start on the front row with Sainz, and the Dutch took a lead from the Ferrari driver on the long opening straight. However,  a safety car intervention after an opening-lap collision between Yuki Tsunoda and Alex Albon nullified his advantage, and made the race challenging for him. 

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Sainz reclaimed the lead soon after the restart, overtaking the Dutch with the help of DRS on lap nine. Verstappen was pushed to 15th after being awarded penalties, forcing a fierce battle to recover places.

Carlos Sainz Wins Mexico Grand Prix, Max Verstappen Handed Double Penalties

Max Verstappen received two 10-second penalties following aggressive encounters with his current McLaren’s Lando Norris. The battle between the two arch-rivals once again turned ugly with the Red Bull driver being at the receiving end this time around. 

Verstappen ultimately finished sixth and Norris finished second. As a result,  the Dutch’s lead has been reduced to 47 points in the drivers championship standings with just four races left. 

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took third place and secured an additional point for setting the fastest lap. He initially ran close to Sainz, but fell to third after Norris overtook him in the closing laps. 

Carlos Sainz Wins Mexico Grand Prix, Max Verstappen Handed Double Penalties
Image: Formula1

Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished fourth and fifth, respectively, following a tense duel in the race’s final stages. 

Kevin Magnussen of Haas finished seventh, followed by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in eighth and Haas teammate Nico Hulkenberg in ninth. Pierre Gasly of Alpine rounded out the top 10.

Home favourite Sergio Perez of Red Bull  was penalised for a false start after lining up outside the designated grid box and finished 17th after a series of on-track scuffles including a collision with Liam Lawson that damaged his car.

Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso was forced to retire on lap 15 due to cooling and brake issues in his milestone 400th Formula One race.

Also Read: Charles Leclerc Wins US Grand Prix, Lando Norris Penalty Gifts Max Verstappen P3

Mexico Grand Prix: Final Positions 

  • 1 Carlos Sainz Jr. (Spain) Ferrari 1hr 40mins 55.800secs

  • 2 Lando Norris (Great Britain) McLaren +4.705secs
  • 3 Charles Leclerc (Monaco) Ferrari +34.387
  • 4 Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain) Mercedes GP +44.780
  • 5 George Russell (Great Britain) Mercedes GP +48.536
  • 6 Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Red Bull +59.558
  • 7 Kevin Magnussen (Denmark) Haas F1 +1min 03.642secs
  • 8 Oscar Piastri (Australia) McLaren +1:04.928
  • 9 Nico Hulkenberg (Germany) Haas F1 at 1 lap
  • 10 Pierre Gasly (France) Alpine at 1 lap
  • 11 Lance Stroll (Canada) Aston Martin at 1 lap
  • 12 Franco Colapinto (Argentina) Williams at 1 lap
  • 13 Esteban Ocon (France) Alpine at 1 lap
  • 14 Valtteri Bottas (Finland) Kick Sauber at 1 lap
  • 15 Guanyu Zhou (China) Kick Sauber at 1 lap
  • 16 Liam Lawson (New Zealand) RB at 1 lap
  • 17 Sergio Perez (Mexico) Red Bull at 1 lap

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