Right here is our full textual content transcript from the twentieth spherical of the 2024 Method 1 championship, the Mexico GP:
The solar is shining down on the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez for the 2024 Mexico Metropolis Grand Prix, the place there may be enormous anticipation forward of the longest run all the way down to Flip One of many 12 months. Carlos Sainz begins on pole place after a shocking Q3 lap and he has championship chief Max Verstappen on the entrance row for firm, with title chaser Lando Norris in third. Don’t rule out Charles Leclerc for being within the combine from fourth, whereas there are massive unknowns at Mercedes, as George Russell and Lewis Hamilton are on the third row.
In direction of the again, there’s a enormous quantity of labor for Oscar Piastri in seventeenth and Sergio Perez in 18th after they had been knocked out in Q1.
Brundle: Ferrari are basically quick round right here
Sky Sports activities F1’s Martin Brundle on Charles Leclerc and Ferrari forward of the Mexican GP:
Carlos Sainz forward of the race:
“I believe from the second row of the grid, there’s half an opportunity he might be main popping out of the primary nook. “The Ferrari is basically quick round right here. It’s simple to suppose they don’t have anything to lose as a result of it’s about Max vs Lando however Ferrari fancy their possibilities to win the Constructors’ Championship, to allow them to’t afford to lose a automobile.”
You’ll be able to’t assist however really feel for Carlos Sainz. Driver of the weekend. As a rule neck and neck with Charles Leclerc all 12 months. However within the peculiar place of realizing he’s leaving a frontrunning group on the finish of the season.
“That’s the goal, to depart on a excessive,” immediately’s polesitter tells Sky Sports activities F1, with simply 5 races left at Ferrari earlier than he leaves for Williams. “Maximise my possibilities of getting on that podium, with a win. That’s what I’ve been doing and I need to give it my all in these previous few races with the group. It will have been simple to lose a little bit of motivation, that battle in me, realizing I’m leaving on the finish of the 12 months, however I’ve managed to maintain myself in test and I’m able to take any alternatives. Feeling very comfy all weekend within the automobile, I believe the whole lot is working rather well. Truthfully I can’t look forward to the race, I believe it must be an thrilling one, particularly that run all the way down to Flip One. Clearly breaking the tow is necessary, however on the similar time it’s very tough to foretell how your rivals are going to begin. I’ll look within the mirrors and see the place they’re!”
All the front-runners have new hards and mediums left, however Crimson Bull have two new mediums – maybe interested by the potential of a Security Automobile which might result in a two-stop race. Nevertheless it must be a reasonably easy race strategy-wise. Medium-Laborious is the way in which to go for the highest drivers.
Mediums for many of the grid, together with everybody within the high 11. RB’s Liam Lawson in twelfth is the primary driver on the hards. Valtteri Bottas (fifteenth), Franco Colapinto (sixteenth), Sergio Perez (18th), Zhou Guanyu (nineteenth), Esteban Ocon (pit lane) are all on the hards too. No person is on the softs.
Lap 1/71: We’re racing in Mexico Metropolis and Max Verstappen will get a greater begin and edges Carlos Sainz extensive at Flip One. The Spaniard cuts the nook however offers the place again. Lando Norris stays in third with Charles Leclerc in fourth and Lewis Hamilton has acquired by George Russell. Yuki Tsunoda crashes! The RB driver acquired caught up into that nook and spins round, with a wheel coming off! He’s out. He stated he’s OK. That’s good to listen to. Alex Albon was additionally hit there… and he’s out of this race too! Now we have a first-lap Security Automobile.
Lap 3/71: The Security Automobile continues to be on the market because the marshal sweep away the particles and clear Yuki Tsunoda and Alex Albon’s automobiles.
Lap 4/71: Amidst the chaos, one driver who managed to realize loads of locations is dwelling hero Sergio Perez. The Crimson Bull man has risen 5 locations to thirteenth… BUT race stewards are investigating him for a false begin! Fellow Q1 exitee Oscar Piastri stays seventeenth.
Lap 5/71: So Verstappen leads from Sainz, Norris, Leclerc and Hamilton. These laps underneath the Security Automobile will assist the tyres, like we noticed in Austin final Sunday, so the drivers can push extra and never fear about tyre degradation as a lot. Perez advised his Crimson Bull group it was a “nice begin” on group radio – however stewards have simply confirmed he has a five-second penalty. It wasn’t for the beginning itself, however the place he lined up on the grid.
Lap 7/71: The Security Automobile is on this lap. Max Verstappen will lead the sector away. Max Verstappen goes for it earlier than the ultimate couple of corners and will get a pleasant hole to Carlos Sainz. No overtakes within the high 10 down into Flip One.
Lap 8/71: Sainz stays inside one second of Verstappen. And crucially meaning Carlos Sainz has DRS on Max Verstappen. Lando Norris is true there too and Charles Leclerc seems like he has tempo. We anticipate a four-way scrap for the win, except Mercedes present some velocity, with Lewis Hamilton in fifth.
Lap 9/71: Carlos Sainz dives down the within into Flip One and leads the Mexico Metropolis Grand Prix! He nearly gathers the automobile up at Flip Two then makes use of the advantage of additionally having DRS on the run all the way down to Flip 4 to remain forward of Verstappen.
Lap 10/71: Lando Norris goes for it across the exterior of Flip 4 however Max Verstappen edges him extensive and Norris cuts the nook. Norris tries to let him via at Flip Eight however Verstappen and himself each go off the observe and Charles Leclerc overtakes each of them. REMARKABLE.
Lap 12/71: Sergio Perez has dispatched each Aston Martins and is as much as eleventh. He does although, bear in mind, have a five-second penalty to serve.
Lap 13/71: Wow. Max Verstappen has a 10-second time penalty for “forcing one other driver off the observe”. That driver was Lando Norris.
Lap 15/71: George Russell swoops across the exterior of Lewis Hamilton to take fifth place. Hamilton lined the within however Russell had sufficient velocity to get by on the first nook.
Lap 16/71: Proper, again on the entrance. It’s a Ferrari one-two after the mess of Verstappen and Norris. Sainz leads Leclerc by two seconds, with Verstappen one other two seconds behind and Norris 1.5 seconds adrift of the championship chief. The primary driver to succeed in 400 GP weekends in F1 sadly gained’t end it within the automobile. Fernando Alonso is again within the pits, retiring from the race. Disgrace.
Wow, fairly the battle between Sergio Perez and Liam Lawson – the 2 males considered within the operating for the Crimson Bull seat in 2025! Perez, within the Crimson Bull, tries to go Lawson, within the sister group RB automobile, up the within of Flip 4 and the pair tangle on the exit. It seems like Perez misplaced a number of aero bits off his automobile. “What is that this fool doing?” says Perez. “Is he okay?”
Lap 20/71: Wow, Max Verstappen has ANOTHER 10-second time penalty. This time it’s for leaving the observe and gaining a bonus at Flip Eight. Meaning his first penalty was in reality for the primary incident at Flip 4.
Lap 22/71: Out in entrance, Carlos Sainz has a 3.2-second lead over Charles Lecelrc with Max Verstappen one other 4 seconds again.
Lap 22/71: One other feisty battle going down on this race is between Piastri and Colapinto, with the Argentine forcing the McLaren the great distance across the first chicane. Piastri makes the transfer stick up into Flip 4. Sergio Perez, in the meantime, has pitted – with loads of injury to his sidepods. He’s out and in, so simply an early cease.
Lap 24/71: Lando Norris is again inside one second of Max Verstappen. Will he be courageous sufficient to make a transfer on the observe? Lap 25/71: We simply heard George Russell say “wow” when advised of Verstappen’s penalty – and one other driver that might profit is Oscar Piastri. His comeback continues, now operating eleventh after overtaking Lance Stroll.
Lap 26/71: Lando Norris is true there however chooses to not go for a lunge into Flip One on Max Verstappen. He is aware of Verstappen is glad to be very aggressive this afternoon.
Lap 27/71: Max Verstappen comes into the pit lane and serves his 20-second time penalty. A Crimson Bull mechanic places a fan over the automobile to try to cool it. Verstappen comes again out down in fifteenth place…
Lap 27/71: Lando Norris now has clear air however is six seconds behind Charles Leclerc. Let’s see what tempo Norris has acquired and whether or not he can do something concerning the Ferraris.
Lap 29/71: Lewis Hamilton is the most recent driver to pit – a 3.1s cease from Mercedes. He comes out behind Colapinto, in tenth. Carlos Sainz is clearly in a league of his personal proper now, by far the quickest driver within the area and he leads by seven seconds over team-mate Charles Leclerc.
Lap 30/71: Max Verstappen breezes previous Esteban Ocon and is into eleventh place. Many drivers forward of him are but to cease, so he’ll quickly be again into the factors.
Lap 31/71: Lando Norris now is available in, it’s a fast cease from McLaren and he’s out into loads of free air, dropping just one place to Russell within the course of. Will Ferrari reply?
Lap 32/71: No shock there, Ferrari reply right away after Norris and Leclerc pits. He’s round 4s forward of the McLaren on exit.
Lap 33/71: Carlos Sainz stops and is now on the onerous tyres. He has a nine-second lead over Charles Leclerc, who’s 5 seconds in entrance of Lando Norris.
Lap 36/71: An unfair battle there as a fresh-tyred Max Verstappen encountered Franco Colapinto’s Williams, but to cease. Verstappen surges previous properly earlier than Flip One, and he’s as much as eighth. A great distance behind his top-five rivals, although.
Lap 37/71: We’re into the second half of the Mexico Metropolis Grand Prix. Carlos Sainz leads by eight seconds from Charles Leclerc, with Lando Norris one other 5 seconds again. They’re all simply managing issues for the time being.
Lap 39/71: Max Verstappen will get previous one other a type of who haven’t stopped but, Liam Lawson, on the principle straight for seventh place. He does, although, report on group radio that his tyres aren’t working. With 32 laps nonetheless to go, that gained’t be music to Crimson Bull’s ears.
Lap 42/71: No points for Liam Lawson as he breezes previous Sergio Perez on the house straight to take sixteenth place. Sergio Perez is final of the drivers nonetheless within the race however carrying injury after his conflict with Lawson earlier.
Lap 45/71: Carlos Sainz is 6.5 seconds forward of Charles Leclerc, who has been a pair tenths faster in the previous couple of laps. Lando Norris continues to be 5 seconds behind Leclerc.
Lap 46/71: There are sprinkles of rain across the observe, however nothing vital but.
Lap 48/71: Max Verstappen’s tough race continues – and for the time being he’s dropping chunks of time to all the high 5, he’s 11s behind Hamilton in fifth. He’ll be trying in his mirrors earlier than lengthy, notably with Piastri’s cost. He now runs ninth after Colapinto lastly pits.
Lap 51/71: George Russell barely covers the within into Flip One as Lewis Hamilton is true there now. This could possibly be a terrific battle between the Mercedes pair.
Lap 53/71: Lando Norris is lower than 4 seconds behind Charles Leclerc within the battle for second. He’s slowly catching.
Lap 54/71: Lewis Hamilton jinks to the fitting approaching Flip One however isn’t shut sufficient to make a transfer on George Russell. Hamilton will quickly start to get annoyed.
Lap 55/71: Russell has to cowl at Flip 4 this time as he properly retains Hamilton behind. Will Mercedes be glad for this battle to proceed?
Lap 57/71: Oscar Piastri will get by Nico Hulkenberg and is into eighth. Subsequent up the street is Kevin Magnussen however he’s seven seconds forward of him. Max Verstappen is one other eight seconds away.
Lap 57/71: That is getting very attention-grabbing now. Lando is underneath 3s behind the Ferrari of Leclerc. Higher but, the hole is definitely 2.4s with 14 laps remaining! Speedy tempo late within the stint from the McLaren.
Lap 58/71: Lando Norris is now simply two seconds behind Charles Leclerc. Recreation on right here for second place.
Lap 59/71: Norris is almost one second behind Leclerc, who’s advised he wants his “greatest driving” now.
Lap 60/71: The hole is strictly one second between Leclerc and Norris now. However, nonetheless no DRS for Norris as he can’t get underneath that one-second mark.
Lap 62/71: New quickest lap from Lando Norris and he lastly will get DRS. He’s inside one second of Charles Leclerc. You get 15 factors for ending third, and 18 factors for second. Each level issues right here.
Lap 63/71: Leclerc will get an enormous aspect via the ultimate nook however by some means retains it out of the limitations. That might have been a large accident! Norris will get via although after Leclerc goes extensive. WOW. The McLaren driver is eight seconds behind race chief Sainz.
Lap 64/71: Lando Norris takes six tenths out of Carlos Sainz within the final two laps and is seven seconds behind. With eight laps to go, that isn’t sufficient however Norris is flying!
Lap 64/71: For what feels just like the fiftieth lap, Lewis Hamilton continues to be caught behind team-mate George Russell, unable to get by with DRS. Perhaps the upgraded Mercedes has much less straight-line velocity than Russell’s older spec? They’ve nonetheless acquired a snug buffer to Verstappen behind in sixth, so there’s no want for group orders.
Lap 66/71: Sainz ups his tempo and the hole is 7.4 seconds with six laps to go. The Ferrari driver is doing sufficient right here to win this Mexico Metropolis GP.
Lap 66/71: There we go. Ultimately, Russell’s resolute defence involves an finish as Hamilton passes the opposite Merc earlier than Flip One, getting a greater exit onto the straight.
Lap 67/71: Franco Colapinto stays across the exterior of Liam Lawson at Flip One and has the within for Flip Two, however the pair make contact. Lawson brakes his entrance wing and is pressured to pit.
Lap 68/71: Norris is 6.8 seconds behind Sainz, so it’s going to take a number of errors from the Ferrari driver to lose it from right here.
Lap 69/71: Norris isn’t giving up although. One other new quickest lap on these previous, onerous tyres. Super tempo on this stint from Norris. Hole down to six.1 seconds.
Lap 70/71: Charles Leclerc pits for some gentle tyres to try to get the additional level for the quickest lap. Leclerc goes out and in of the pits in third place. Liam Lawson has simply set the brand new quickest lap of the race again in seventeenth after his pit cease for a brand new entrance wing and tyres.
Carlos Sainz wins the Mexico Metropolis Grand Prix and it’s his first victory since Melbourne again in March. Lando Norris takes second and Charles Leclerc completes the rostrum with the quickest lap of the race. He’ll get a bonus level for that. Lewis Hamilton is fourth with Mercedes team-mate George Russell in fifth.
Max Verstappen has come dwelling in sixth behind the 2 Mercedes, after a irritating and controversial afternoon during which he took two separate 10s penalties for clashes with Lando Norris. His title lead has been lower to 47 factors, with 4 rounds remaining. Carlos Sainz is off to Williams on the finish of this 12 months. Was this his final win for Ferrari? Or can he add one other one within the closing 4 rounds?
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