MEXICAN GRAND PRIX - RACE
Before the lights could even go out for the start of the race, it was bad news for Romain Grosjean who would have to start from pit-lane after the floor of his car was changed while under the rules and regulations of Parc Ferme. Both Haas drivers had already had trouble finding pace during Qualifying and this would only make matters worse for the American team.
Lewis Hamilton was able to make a quick getaway during the start, but Nico Rosberg was eager to catch him before he got too far ahead. Rosberg tried to make a pass and Hamilton ran wide and off track, taking a trip through the grass before joining the track again ahead of Rosberg. No penalty was enforced as Hamilton had already been ahead of Rosberg and did not gain any unfair advantage.
Pascal Wehrlein's race was over before it even really got a chance to begin. He found himself involved in a 3-car collision between himself, Esteban Gutierrez and Marcus Ericsson. While the other two were able to drive away, Wehrlein's Manor had taken too much damage and it was race over. The collision was deemed a racing accident and no further action was taken.
Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg both finished in the points after a tough race. Perez had a late pit-stop after running as high as 5th and then found himself struggling to get back from 10th. He spent the later half of the race trying to catch up and pass both Williams drivers but was unable to do so. It was not the way he had wanted his home-race to go. Hulkenberg nearly lost out on points altogether after he was tagged and spun by Kimi Raikkonen in the final few laps. He was able to get his Force India back in the right direction and finish in 7th.
Esteban Gutierrez also found his home-race not going the way he wanted after the collision at the beginning of the race. After that, he struggled to catch back up and find pace. He finished in 19th, just one space ahead of his team-mate, Grosjean. Haas has not yet decided on their 2017 line-up but have told Gutierrez he will learn his future within the next 2-3 weeks.
Williams achieved another double points finish with Bottas in 8th and Massa in 9th. However, it wasn't enough to pass Force India in the constructors. Both Force India drivers also finished within the points and stay ahead in 4th by just 9 points. With two races left, both teams have a chance to secure that higher spot in the standings. Williams is also set to announce their replacement for the retiring Felipe Massa in the coming days.
While it was clear that Lewis Hamilton would bring home the win for Mercedes this time around, there was drama further back between Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen. Verstappen was running in 3rd but had been slowly losing pace on older tyres. Vettel was able to catch up within the final laps and attempted to overtake the Red Bull driver. Vettel was able to pass but Verstappen ran wide and went off track, then rejoined in front of Vettel. Verstappen was told to give the position back, but failed to do so. Vettel was quick to vent his frustration over the radio, using multiple explicit words while talking about the younger driver and then used some harsh words towards Charlie Whiting as well.
While Verstappen continued to run in 3rd, he was also continuing to slow down and it was holding up Vettel. This gave Daniel Ricciardo the chance to catch up and attempt a pass on the Ferrari. However, Vettel moved under braking and it was Ricciardo who was now fuming. The two nearly collided but were able to avoid any massive collision.
Before the podium ceremony, it was announced that Verstappen had a 5-Second-Time-Penalty added to his final race time and was demoted to 4th. He was led out of the pre-podium room and instead it was Vettel who joined race winner, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, who finished 2nd, on the podium. Later on, Vettel was handed a 10-Second-Time-Penalty to his own final race time and was demoted to 5th despite being earlier handed a trophy. Daniel Ricciardo was then promoted to 3rd and gained 15 points in the drivers standings.
With Lewis Hamilton winning the race, he now trails Rosberg in the drivers standings by just 19 points. This means that Hamilton still has a chance to take the Drivers Championship if he can win the final two races.
Toro Rosso, Renault, Sauber, McLaren and the lone Manor of Esteban Ocon, all finished outside of the points after a tough weekend, but still have a chance to score points when F1 heads to Brazil in 2 weeks before the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi.
RESULTS:
1. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 25 Points
2. Nico Rosberg / Mercedes-Mercedes / Germany / + 18 Points
3. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER / Australia / + 15 Points
4. Max Verstappen / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER / Netherlands / + 12 Points*
5. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / + 10 Points**
6. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / + 8 Points
7. Nico Hulkenberg / Force India-Mercedes / Germany / + 6 Points
8. Valtteri Bottas / Williams-Mercedes / Finland / + 4 Points
9. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil / + 2 Points
10. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico
11. Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
12. Jenson Button / McLaren-Honda / Great Britain
13. Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain
14. Jolyon Palmer / Renault-Renault / Great Britain
15. Felipe Nasr / Sauber-Ferrari / Brazil
16. Carlos Sainz / Toro Rosso-Ferrari / Spain
17. Kevin Magnussen / Renault-Renault / Denmark
18. Daniil Kvyat / Toro Rosso-Ferrari / Russia
19. Esteban Gutierrez / Haas-Ferrari / Mexico
20. Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France
21. Esteban Ocon / Manor-Mercedes / France
RETIRED - Pascal Wehrlein / Manor-Mercedes / Germany / Collision
* - (Verstappen) 5-Second-Time-Penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage/Not returning position
** - (Vettel) 10-Second-Time-Penalty for driving in a dangerous manner/moving under braking
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Article Written By: Amy Hawk
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