Carlos Sainz put on a masterclass Sunday afternoon, wining from pole in Mexico City as the Ferrari team took home their second consecutive double podium after last weeks 1-2 in Austin, TX. The Spanish driver, leading from pole, lost the lead in the first turn to Max Verstappen but eventually overcame the set back thanks to an extended safety car period caused by Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon and Yuki Tsunoda on the first lap.
With the lead in hand, Sainz controlled the race till the end as he took home the victory for the second time in 2024 and becomes the 6th driver to win multiple races this year. Not to be outdone, teammate Charles LeClerc took home third position behind Lando Norris and secured fastest lap for the Scuderia as they moved within 30 points of McLaren in the Constructors Championship.
RACE START: Watch a dramatic getaway in Mexico City as Verstappen beats Sainz to Turn 1 while Gasly, Albon and Tsunoda clash
The story of the race though came via Lando Norris and sixth-place finisher Max Verstappen as the two fought for position after the safety car. The back-and-forth duel saw both drivers at times running off track as Stewards handed Verstappen with two, 10-sec time penalties that saw the Red Bull driver drop out of podium contention. With little love lost between the pair it was a race of recovery for Verstappen as he fought back to finish sixth as teammate Perez failed to score points, ending 17th out of 17 finishers.
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell put on their own show in 4th and 5th as Hamilton eventually succeeded in overtaking Russell in the closing stages of the race. The duo were under no team orders and both fought hard to stay ahead of one another in what will likely be a tense discussion post-race within the walls of the Mercedes garages.
The Haas duo of Magnussen and Hulkenberg had another positive weekend after scoring points in Austin, this time both drivers scoring points in Mexico as they sandwiched the McLaren of Oscar Piastri in 7th, 8th, and 9th places as the American team sets their sights on fifth in the constructors race, 40 points behind Aston Martin with four races to go in the season. With both Aston’s finishing outside the points – Fernando Alonso retiring early in his 400th career start in Formula 1 and teammate Stroll finishing just outside the top 10 in eleventh, the chance for Haas to strike is now while the British squad seems to have lost the pace in the latter part of the season.
With the second race of the penultimate triple-header completed, all eyes turn south to Sao Paulo Brazil for the fan and driver-favorite Brazilian Grand Prix. Home to the late Ayrton Senna and the site of many great championship finishes, it’s anyone’s game as McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull all have legitimate chances at upsetting the balance at the top of the grid. Tune in Friday, November 1st at 11:30 local time for the penultimate Sprint weekend of the 2024 season.
Free Practice 1 Report – CLICK HERE
Free Practice 2 Report – CLICK HERE
Free Practice 3 Report – CLICK HERE
Qualifying Report – CLICK HERE
FORMULA 1 LENOVO GRANDE PRÊMIO DE SÃO PAULO 2024 Schedule
| Date | Session | Time (Local Circuit) |
| Nov. 1st | Practice | 11:30 – 12:30 |
| Sprint Qualifying | 15:30 – 16:14 | |
| Nov. 2nd | Sprint | 11:00 – 12:00 |
| Qualifying | 15:00 – 16:00 | |
| Nov. 3rd | Race | 14:00 |
Race Results:
Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 71 | 1:40:55.800 | 25 |
2 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | 71 | +4.705s | 18 |
3 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 71 | +34.387s | 16 |
4 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 71 | +44.780s | 12 |
5 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 71 | +48.536s | 10 |
6 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 71 | +59.558s | 8 |
7 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari | 71 | +63.642s | 6 |
8 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes | 71 | +64.928s | 4 |
9 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas Ferrari | 70 | +1 lap | 2 |
10 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | 70 | +1 lap | 1 |
11 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 70 | +1 lap | 0 |
12 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Williams Mercedes | 70 | +1 lap | 0 |
13 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault | 70 | +1 lap | 0 |
14 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 70 | +1 lap | 0 |
15 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 70 | +1 lap | 0 |
16 | 30 | Liam Lawson | RB Honda RBPT | 70 | +1 lap | 0 |
17 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 70 | +1 lap | 0 |
NC | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 15 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams Mercedes | 0 | DNF | 0 |
NC | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB Honda RBPT | 0 | DNF | 0 |
