MEXICO CITY – Carlos Sainz Jr. won the Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday and Lando Norris closed the gap in the Formula 1 championship race after another contentious battle with Max Verstappen.
Verstappen started second and took the lead over polesitter Sainz at the start, but the first lap quickly brought out a yellow flag when contact between Yuki Tsunoda and Alex Albon caused Tsundona to crash and Albon to retire with damage to his car.
The restart was spicy with Ferrari's Verstappen and Norris jockeying for position. And for the second consecutive week, the title contenders faced off.
Norris was penalized a week ago at the United States Grand Prix for forcing Verstappen off the track, a punishment that gave the three-time reigning world champion the final podium spot. It also allowed Verstappen to extend his lead in the drivers' standings to 57 points ahead of Sunday's race.
The tables turned at the Circuito Hermanos Rodríguez when Verstappen received a 10-second penalty for hitting wheels with Norris and forcing Norris off the track.
“Ten? That's aggressive,” Verstappen said.
He then received a second 10-second penalty for gaining position when he left the track and a combined 20-second penalty that was served on his first bin stop.
“Okay then. That's bullshit, man,” Verstappen said over the radiodifusión.
He pitted from third on lap 27 and his mechanics were unable to begin service until the 20-second penalty was up. He dropped to 15th place when he rejoined the race.
Although Verstappen recovered to finish sixth, Norris ruined what appeared to be a Ferrari sweep when he snatched second place from Charles Leclerc with eight laps remaining. The finishes meant a 10-point difference for Norris, who is now 47 points behind Verstappen with four races remaining.
Leclerc finished third for Ferrari, which like McLaren is trying to dethrone Purple Bull for the lucrative constructors' championship.
Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished fourth and fifth and Verstappen was sixth. Kevin Magnussen was seventh for Haas, followed by McLaren's Oscar Piastri, Haas' Nico Hülkenberg and Alpine's Pierre Gasly.
Sianz, for his part, not only won but was on the podium for the first time in Mexico City. It was the fourth victory of his career and the second of the season for the driver who will be replaced by Hamilton next year at Ferrari. Sainz had never before won two races in a season.
“This was a masterclass,” the Ferrari team told Sainz.
“Thank you, this feels good,” Sainz responded, sounding excited. “Definitely happy. Thank you, Mexico.”
Pérez's long day
Embattled driver Sergio Pérez had a long day at his home race from the start.
The Mexican, who was eliminated in the first round of qualifying to occupy 18th place, gained five positions at the start. But he immediately received a five-second penalty for being outside his area at the start.
That left him in 16th place and he finished 17th.
Perez also became involved in a wheel-to-wheel battle with Liam Lawson that became controversial on team radiodifusión as the two battled for position on lap 19.
“What (expectation) is this idiot doing? Alright? Perez asked over the radiodifusión as the drivers went wheel to wheel and made contact. Pérez went off the track in the battle.
Lawson was just as furious.
“Are you (expletive) serious?” Lawson asked over the radiodifusión.
“Loud and clear, we will review it with our heads down,” his RB team told Lawson.
Alonso left early
Fernando Alonso's 400th Formula 1 outing was short: he drove his Aston Martin back to the garage on lap 16.
He finished 18th and the team said the brakes on his Aston Martin were overheating.
Alonso started the race weekend sick and skipped Thursday's events, but returned in Friday's second practice. The two-time F1 champion already held the record for the most starts in the series' history, setting the record when he surpassed Kimi Räikkönen, who retired with 353 starts.
Alonso, 43, started the race ninth in the drivers' standings. He has 32 career wins and 106 podiums.
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