Live text
Formula 1
Mexico City GP
F1 Mexican GP Live Commentary and Updates - Race day
Minute-by-minute updates for the Mexico City GP at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez
Although the F1 titles are already sewn up in favour of Max Verstappen and Red Bull, the final three races will shape the rest of the championship order, as Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez battle over the runner-up spot in the championship.
Verstappen has pole for the race in Mexico, as neither Mercedes driver was able to overturn the Dutchman after the final runs.
Home favourite Sergio Perez starts fourth ahead of Carlos Sainz, as Ferrari struggled with the conditions and the two cars were split by Valtteri Bottas as Charles Leclerc starts seventh.
Gambling problem? Call 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-GAMBLER (AS/CO/IN/LA/NC/OH/VA) 21+, (KY) 18+
By: Tom Howard, Jake Boxall-Legge, Haydn Cobb
Stopped
- Verstappen wins the Mexican Grand Prix from Hamilton and Perez
- Verstappen leads Hamilton, Perez and Russell after first round of stops on lap 35/71
- Slow first stop for Perez, the first of the front runners to pit
- Verstappen leads from pole, Hamilton jumps Russell, who drops to fourth behind Perez
- Verstappen on pole from Russell, Hamilton
Leaderboard
- Verstappen, Red Bull
- Hamilton, Mercedes
- Perez, Red Bull
- Russell, Mercedes
- Sainz, Ferrari
- Leclerc, Ferrari
- Ricciardo, McLaren
- Ocon, Alpine
- Norris, McLaren
- Bottas, Alfa Romeo
And that's all from us! Thanks for joining - and we'll be back in a couple of weeks for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. See you then!
Here's the report from the Mexico City Grand Prix: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/f1-mexican-gp-verstappen-cruises-to-record-14th-victory-of-2022/10393007/
Not exactly barrels of conversation in the drivers' room there. Hamilton doing his best impression of Jesse Pinkman having dinner with the White family in Breaking Bad there...
Quote
"Maybe not the right tyre choice," Toto Wolff says, but it's hard to see how Red Bull could be beaten today.
Sainz and Leclerc lock out fifth and sixth for Ferrari, as Ricciardo has a 2.1s buffer after his 10-second penalty is applied. Ocon, Norris and Bottas complete the top 10.
Stopwatch
It's a 1m20.153s for Russell - so yes, the point is his.
Lewis Hamilton takes second, Sergio Perez is third, and George Russell will be fourth...but will he have the fastest lap?
Checkered flag
Max Verstappen wins the 2022 Mexican Grand Prix!
Ricciardo is above the magic 10-second mark ahead of Ocon so in position to keep seventh place.
Verstappen starts the final lap, for what will be Red Bull's ninth consecutive victory - and his 14th of the year.
Pit stop
Russell gets his stop at the end of lap 69 to get the soft tyres to go for the fastest lap. Sainz is over 30s behind so no danger of getting passed.
Gasly, the other penalty server today, uses DRS on the main straight to charge by Albon to take 11th place.
This feels a bit like 2013 doesn't it? Initial spell of interesting orders, but it's just been a Red Bull jamboree in the second half of the year. Mercedes can't get near them.
This is turning into one heck of a drive for Ricciardo, as he is 9s ahead of Ocon directly behind him. If he can make that over 10s before the end, due to his penalty, he'll keep hold of seventh place.
No quick pitstops out front, in that short VSC period. Alonso punches the air in frustration as his power unit tears itself in twain. As you were then.
Green flag
But just like that, Alonso's Alpine is recovered behind the barriers and the virtual safety car period is over.
Safety car
Alonso's stop at Turn 1 has triggered a virtual safety car.
Mechanical problem
Just as Norris charges by Bottas to take 10th, he gains another place as Alonso pulls off with engine failure.
The Red Bull pace is starting to drop slightly, but not by what Mercedes would consider enough to make the hard tyre gamble worth it.
A lap later Ricciardo picks his moment using DRS up to Turn 1 to take seventh place. He still has a 10-second penalty to come, but he could stay in the points at this rate.
Instead, both Ocon and Ricciardo get by Alonso into Turn 1 and the McLaren keeps his fight up to chase the French driver. He has a look at Turn 6 but thinks better of it, perhaps having Tsunoda flashbacks.
Quote
"I'm still not happy with this tyre," Russell says. "That medium looks quick mate, they're going to go to the end," Hamilton also says. Yeah.
Ricciardo has been fired up by his penalty as he's already within one second of Ocon.
We've been waiting for nearly 60 laps for a race to happen and we don't seem to be getting one. Just two more races after this.
Further back Zhou has overtaken Vettel, around the outside at Turn 1 and making it stick on the inside at Turn 2, to take 14th place.
Ricciardo, with DRS, gets by Bottas to take ninth down the main straight.
The Red Bulls aren't showing many signs of slowing down, which isn't helping Mercedes' cause particularly. Perez is closing the gap to Hamilton once again as the team goes in search of a 1-2.
In fact, McLaren has done a switch to put Ricciardo into 10th ahead of Norris so he can chase after Bottas and negate his incoming penalty.
Ricciardo is set to serve his penalty at the end, when it is added to his race time, and he is currently 12.4s ahead of Albon so he might not lose anything to it.
Penalty
Ricciardo has been given a 10-second penalty for the crash which took out Tsunoda.
Gasly gets up the inside of Vettel into Turn 4 to take 13th place.
The Ricciardo vs Tsunoda clash is under investigation, and there is probably a penalty incoming for the McLaren driver.
"Are we on the wrong tyre?" Hamilton asks. "We think we're on the right tyre, it'll get to the end no sweat," replies Pete Bonnington. Russell, meanwhile, has cut the gap to Perez to under 6s.
Quote