Hometown hero Sergio “Checo” Perez failed to live up to fans’ hopes yet again, finishing in P17 — dead last — after three DNFs at this year’s Mexican Grand Prix. Though his last place finish is technically better than his own retirement in last year’s race, it was hardly the news of the weekend.
Ferrari’s “Tifosi” fanbase saw their two drivers on the podium for the second week in a row, in what could be a final win in the scarlet SF-75 for driver Carlos Sainz as he loses his seat to seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton and makes the move to Wiliams.
“Honestly, I really wanted this one,” Sainz said in a post-race interview. “I’ve been saying for a while I wanted one more win before leaving Ferrari.”
His win and teammate Charles Leclerc’s third-place finish puts Ferrari second in the Constructors’ Championship.
Sainz, a RedBull junior team alum, has proven he deserves to stay on the grid with two wins this year, but it remains to be seen if he can return to the top step with Williams, a team that hasn’t won a race since 2012.
This year’s main championship contenders — defending champion Max Verstappen and Lando Norris — fought wheel-to-wheel in a manner that left many viewers with the impression that either might make contact with the other before they let them take position.
If anything stood out from this battle, it was the Oprah-esque approach of the stewards when it came to dolling out penalties, particularly to Verstappen. He received two 10-second penalties within four corners for, first, leaving the track and gaining a lasting advantage and then for forcing another driver off the track, respectively. The second charge also bears 2 penalty points, bringing Verstappen up to a total of six in a 12-month period, half of what he can accrue before having to sit out a race.
The drivers were, as one presenter put it, racing to the apex instead of through each corner, dancing around the current sporting regulations that lack clarity concerning track limits and car positioning throughout corners. In Austin, Verstappen went unpenalized for exploiting this, and many criticized the stewards’ lack of action. Following the weekend, questions were raised over whether the rules should be amended in the spirit of safety. It was reported that 19 of 20 drivers hope to see consistent application of clearer rules.
Former driver and Sky Sports F1 commentator Martin Brundle wrote about the incidents in his column, particularly the second penalty-inducing move. In this case, Verstappen was unable to complete a pass, forcing both cars off-track then regaining ahead.
Last year, Verstappen won all but three races, rarely racing in such a way to prompt penalties. Many considered his driving style to have matured. With the championship much closer than he and RedBull would like this year, people are raising questions about whether his former “Mad Max” persona has returned.
Even with mounting criticisms, Verstappen doesn’t see a need to change his driving style. When asked if he might make changes to his racing approach for this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix.
“Yeah, I’ve heard that before in my career,” he told reporters: “It’s my tenth year in Formula 1. I think I know what I’m doing.”
While Verstappen’s spot at Red Bull is all but promised to him for as long as he wants it, the team’s second seat is a hot commodity. Many suspect the team could replace Perez for next year.
VCARB driver Liam Lawson is one driver vying for that contract despite only rejoining the grid two races ago. Their off-track competition added hostility on-track too. After a tense wheel-to-wheel battle and some contact, the young Kiwi flipped off Perez as he passed him later in the race amidst a battle for points – and that seat Perez currently occupies.
Lawson offered an explanation for his actions while speaking to the media ahead of the Sao Paulo GP.
“In the moment, things are very heated and obviously I apologize for what I did last week,” he said. “It’s not something I should have done, and it’s something I won’t be doing again.”
The New Zealander returned to the grid for the remainder of this season at the U.S. GP and made it clear he’s fighting for that RB seat, already causing a stir among drivers like Perez and Fernando Alonso. Despite veterans’ comments that he’s come into the sport too hot, he took the reality TV approach: “I’m not here to make friends, I’m here to win.”
He will have the chance to perform in the final three races of the season as we go racing in Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi over the next month. After a hectic Sao Paulo GP this weekend, which saw Verstappen fight through the rain to win from P17, and Norris drop from pole to P6, there are just 62 points separating the top two championship contenders. Even as the drivers championship begins to look out of reach for Norris, McLaren sits at the top of the table for the constructors championship, though with 49 points between the top three teams, every move on track as we near the end of the season counts.