It was a perfect storm of on-track action, shock qualifying results, home heartbreak and record-setting glory at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez this weekend just gone. Max Verstappen has now stamped his mark on another F1 record, winning his 16th grand prix in 2023, now the most in history - besting his own record from last year of 15 and further cementing his lead over the legendary Michael Schumacher’s record of 13 wins back in 2004. Don’t forget, there are still three races left this season, meaning Max could extend this to 19 wins if all goes his way.
Qualifying
We saw the usual order of the top 10 in Q1, with Verstappen setting the benchmark time, followed by the McLaren of Piastri, however there were a few pleasant surprises this time around in Mexico as Daniel Ricciardo was sat P3 and lap-record holder Bottas sat in P5. Clearly those teams further down the performance ladder were able to make the most of the slipperiness of their cars this weekend! Aston Martin had a nightmare session, seeing a baffling spin from Alonso at Turn 3, the car appearing to not like exit curbs all too much. Meanwhile, teammate Lance Stroll wasn’t able to make it out of Q1, qualifying 18th - a decidedly dreadful result for the team that looked to be the second quickest car at the start of the year. The biggest twist of fate for Q1 was that of Lando Norris, who (due to yellow flags caused by Alonso’s spin debacle) wasn’t able to get a clean lap in towards the end of the session.
Q2 featured the same top-three composition as the session prior, with home hero Perez just behind in fourth to start with. Hamilton was able to pull out a pole-worthy lap, leading teammate and compatriot Russell by two positions. Zhou Guanyu was initially able to knock out Hulkenberg and Gasly for P10, however he himself was pushed down into the danger zone by Alexander Albon despite his best efforts. China’s driver would see the top ten again, though, as the stewards declared that Albon’s lap was invalid for crossing the white lines at Turn 2, thus knocking Albon out and pushing Zhou back up. Alonso was also unable to escape Q2.