2023 F1 Meixco GP Recap
The Mexico GP was filled with intense moments, and drivers were filled with both disappointment and happiness.
Race Results
Max finished first, once again, followed by Hamilton, Leclerc and Sainz. Norris finished fifth, ahead of Russel and Ricciardo in seventh.
Perez Crashed out in Turn 1
As the lights turned green, Verstappen had a great start, jumping two places to the front before the first turn. At the same time, his teammate, and Mexican favorite Perez crashed into Leclerc going into turn one. Verstappen, Leclerc, and Perez were going three wide into the turn, and there was no room for Leclerc leaving the crash inevitable. Perez pitted, hoping to fix his car, and while the team was attempting to replace his shattered side pod, he had extensive floor damage and had to retire.
Kevin Magnussen Crashes causing a Red Flag on Lap 32
About halfway through the GP, Kevin Magnussen’s Haas suffered a technical problem and he had a big crash into the barrier. Luckily, Magnussen was unharmed, but the large barrier damage caused the race to be red flagged, giving teams a ten minute break. This proved to be a big strategy problem, with teams deciding which tire to use, and many teams were forced to reuse tires or risk running the rest of the race on Mediums.
Yuki has contact with Piastri ending Alpha Tauri’s hopes of a double-point finish
Yuki was in ninth, right behind Piastri. Though Yuki was on Hards and Piastri on Mediums, Yuki was faster and kept attempting to overtake Piastri. However, this all went south when Yuki cut into Piastri, destroying his hope at a point finish and Alpha Tauri’s hopes of a double-point finish.
Ricciardo has a stellar weekend
Though this was just Ricciardo’s second race after his injury, he did not disappoint, Friday and Saturday Ricciardo was the one to watch, being top five through Q1, Q2, and Q3. On race day, Ricciardo finished seventh after a phenomenal race, almost catching up to Russel in sixth. In a car like Alpha Tauri, this was a spectacular weekend for him, and definitely increased the chances of an eventual Red Bull seat for Ricciardo.
Norris had the best race
Norris had an awful qualifying session on Saturday, getting knocked out in Q1 at 17th place. However, he had a spectacular race, finishing in fifth. He rose to tenth before the restart, but had a bad start and dropped to fourteenth. However, he was still able to get up to fifth, showing everyone why they should be watching him.
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