Mexican GP: Race - Re-Cap & Results

MEXICAN GP - RACE - RE-CAP & RESULTS

    Lewis Hamilton secured his fourth Formula 1 world championship in Mexico, despite finishing the first lap at the back of the field after a collision with title rival Sebastian Vettel.

    Vettel started the Mexican GP on pole, alongside Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. The pair made contact as Verstappen moved into the lead heading into the first corner, damaging the Ferrari’s front wing. Vettel moved over into Hamilton, who started third, colliding with the Mercedes right-rear tyre.  

    Both were forced into the pits at the end of the lap – Hamilton with a puncture and Vettel with a damaged front wing.

    The opening lap incident triggered a battle through the field for both championship contenders. Vettel, who was running 19th by the end of the first lap, pulled off a series of exciting moves to make it up to fourth by the chequered flag.

    It wasn’t enough to keep his championship hope alive, though, as Hamilton’s ninth place put him 56 points ahead of the Ferrari driver with only 50 points on offer from the final two races.

    With Hamilton and Vettel out of the fight, Verstappen was left unchallenged at the front of the field. He was nearly 20 seconds ahead of Valtteri Bottas in second when he crossed the line, taking his third F1 victory.

    Kimi Raikkonen finished third after starting fifth, taking his sixth podium finish of the season.

    Brendon Hartley triggered a virtual safety car just before the midpoint of the 71-lap race. In only his second race in F1, Harley’s Toro Rosso had stopped on track with an engine problem.

    Fellow Renault powered driver Nico Hulkenberg retired with an engine problem, while Daniel Ricciardo’s race was cut short after five laps due to a turbo issue.

    Esteban Ocon took fifth after falling behind Vettel late in the race. He finished ahead of Lance Stroll, team-mate Sergio Perez, and Kevin Magnussen.

    Fernando Alonso rounded out the top 10.

    After a strong qualifying, Carlos Sainz Jnr dropped to the back of the field on the second lap. He managed to continue until the final stages of the race, when he claimed his car was pulling on the straights.

    Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson looked set for his first points of the season, but was forced to retire late in the race with a brake-by-wire problem.

    Felipe Massa finished 11th, just ahead of Stoffel Vandoorne and Pierre Gasly, who battled their way up through the field after starting at the back of the grid.

    Pascal Wehrlein and Romain Grosjean in 14th and 15th were the final finishers.

RESULTS:

1. Max Verstappen / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands / + 25 Points
2. Valtteri Bottas / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland / + 18 Points
3. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / + 15 Points
4. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / + 12 Points
5. Esteban Ocon / Force India-Mercedes / France / + 10 Points
6. Lance Stroll / Williams-Mercedes / Canada / + 8 Points
7. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico / + 6 Points
8. Kevin Magnussen / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark / + 4 Points
9. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 2 Points
10. Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain / + 1 Point
11. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil
12. Stoffel Vandoorne / McLaren-Honda / Belgium
13. Pierre Gasly / Toro Rosso-Renault / France
14. Pascal Wehrlein / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany
15. Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France

RETIRED - Carlos Sainz / Renault-Renault / Spain / Steering
RETIRED - Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden / Suspension
RETIRED - Brendon Hartley / Toro Rosso-Renault / New Zealand / Engine
RETIRED - Nico Hulkenberg / Renault-Renault / Germany / Engine
RETIRED - Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia / Turbo

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Mexican GP: Qualifying - Re-Cap & Results

MEXICAN GP - QUALIFYING - RE-CAP & RESULTS

    Sebastian Vettel will start the Mexican GP from pole position after it slipped out of Max Verstappen's hands. It had looked to be Red Bull on pole but Vettel proved too fast for the younger driver. Verstappen was also investigated after Qualifying for impeding Bottas but no further action was taken.

    Pierre Gasly missed Qualifying due to work being done on his Toro Rosso. The team had to replace his power unit after multiple issues throughout the weekend. Gasly, Vandoorne and Alonso all also have penalties for multiple engine component changes.

HOW IT WORKS:

Q1 = 18 minutes. All cars allowed to go out. At the end of the session, the five slowest are eliminated.

Q2 = 15 minutes. The remaining cars go out. At the end of the session, the five slowest are eliminated.

Q3 = 12 minutes. Final 10 cars go out. The final order at the end of the session is how the grid will line up. Fastest car starts from Pole Position.

GRID LINE-UP:

1. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany

2. Max Verstappen / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands

3. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain

4. Valtteri Bottas / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland

5. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland

6. Esteban Ocon / Force India-Mercedes / France

7. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia

8. Nico Hulkenberg / Renault-Renault / Germany

9. Carlos Sainz / Renault-Renault / Spain

10. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico

11. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil

12. Lance Stroll / Williams-Mercedes / Canada

13. Brendon Hartley / Toro Rosso-Renault / New Zealand

14. Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden

15. Pascal Wehrlein / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany

16. Kevin Magnussen / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark

17. Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France

18. Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain*

19. Stoffel Vandoorne / McLaren-Honda / Belgium**

20. Pierre Gasly / Toro Rosso-Renault / France***

* - (Alonso) 20-Place-Grid-Penalty for multiple engine component changes

** - (Vandoorne) 35-Place-Grid-Penalty for multiple engine component changes

*** - (Gasly) 15-Place-Grid-Penalty for multiple engine component changes

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Mexican GP: Free Practice #3 - Re-Cap & Times

MEXICAN GP - FREE PRACTICE #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    
    It was Max Verstappen who once again topped the time-sheets during this GP weekend, this time with a 1:17.113. Ricciardo, who had topped FP2, was further down the line in 5th with a 1:17.361. Hamilton, Vettel and Bottas were also in the top 5.

        Lewis Hamilton, who is fighting to secure the Drivers Title this weekend, reported cuts in power during the session. Despite this, he still finished in 2nd, behind Verstappen, with a 1:17.188.

    Trouble for Pierre Gasly who never set a time after his Toro Rosso stopped on the track. He reported it was the engine, but then later said it felt like a gearbox problem. Team-mate, Hartley, competing in only his second ever F1 race weekend, finished the session in 11th with a 1:18.602.

    Another solid session for Force India, who have nearly completed what they can call their best season yet with both drivers sitting in the top 10 in the Drivers Championship standings and the team sitting firmly in 4th in the Constructors Championship standings. Home-town hero, Sergio Perez, finished the session in 7th with a 1:18.040. Ocon was right behind in 8th with a 1:18.165.

TIMES:

1. Max Verstappen - 1:17.113 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands

2. Lewis Hamilton - 1:17.188 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain

3. Sebastian Vettel - 1:17.230 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany

4. Valtteri Bottas - 1:17.283 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland

5. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:17.361 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia

6. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:17.517 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland

7. Sergio Perez - 1:18.040 / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico

8. Esteban Ocon - 1:18.165 / Force India-Mercedes / France

9. Carlos Sainz - 1:18.208 / Renault-Renault / Spain

10. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:18.380 / Renault-Renault / Germany

11. Brendon Hartley - 1:18.602 / Toro Rosso-Renault / New Zealand

12. Felipe Massa - 1:18.690 / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil

13. Lance Stroll - 1:19.066 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada

14. Kevin Magnussen - 1:19.205 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark

15. Marcus Ericsson - 1:19.331 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden

16. Fernando Alonso - 1:19.565 / McLaren-Honda / Spain

17. Romain Grosjean - 1:19.586 / Haas-Ferrari / France

18. Pascal Wehrlein - 1:19.826 / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany

19. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:20.826 / McLaren-Honda / Belgium

20. Pierre Gasly - NO TIME SET / Toro Rosso-Renault / France

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Mexican GP: Free Practice #2 - Re-Cap & Times

MEXICAN GP - FREE PRACTICE #2 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Daniel Ricciardo topped the times in free practice two as his Renault colleagues struggled with their power units.

    Max Verstappen, Pierre Gasly, Brendon Hartley, and Carlos Sainz all appeared to have problems with their engines throughout the session, including an oil consumption problem that ended Verstappen’s session 15 minutes early.

    When the Renault engine was working, it worked well. Ricciardo’s 1m17.801s lap was more than a tenth of a second faster than Hamilton and 0.023s than Bottas’ FP1 time. Team-mate Verstappen managed third fastest, putting him ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen. Valtteri Bottas could only manage sixth fastest, half a second slower than Ricciardo.

    Red flags were brought out five minutes into the session after Romain Grosjean sprayed rubber and carbon fibre along the pit straight. The Haas driver span at the final corner, but was able to continue. He sped down the pit straight, causing his tyre to delaminate.

    When the track was cleared, Stoffel Vandoorne was one of the first on track. The McLaren driver had been forced to miss FP1 due to a loose wheel, but had managed a handful of laps before the red flag. The problems returned when the track was cleared, as he reported engine problems down the pit lane and was told to stop on the pit straight.

    He claimed 15th fastest with 32 laps, 1.3s slower than Fernando Alonso in seventh.

    Sergio Perez beat former team-mate Nico Hulkenberg to take eighth fastest in front of his home crowds. He was just a tenth of a second faster than team-mate Esteban Ocon in 10th.

    Despite problems with the engine, Sainz managed 11th quickest, ahead of Felipe Massa, Brendon Hartley, and Lance Stroll.

    Pascal Wehrlein in the Sauber was 16th fastest, quicker than both Haas drivers, Marcus Ericsson, and Pierre Gasly.

TIMES:

1. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:17.801 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia
2. Lewis Hamilton - 1:17.932 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain
3. Max Verstappen - 1:17.964 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands
4. Sebastian Vettel - 1:18.051 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany
5. Kimi Raikkonen – 1:18.142 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland
6. Valtteri Bottas - 1:18.299 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland
7. Fernando Alonso – 1:18.508 / McLaren-Honda / Spain
8. Sergio Perez - 1:18.728 / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico
9. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:18.775 / Renault-Renault / Germany
10. Esteban Ocon - 1:18.822 / Force India-Mercedes / France
11. Carlos Sainz - 1:19.060 / Renault-Renault / Spain
12. Felipe Massa - 1:19.206 / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil
13. Brendon Hartley - 1:19.423 / Toro Rosso-Renault / New Zealand 
14. Lance Stroll - 1:19.524 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada
15. Stoffel Vandoorne – 1:19.844 / McLaren-Honda / Belgium
16. Pascal Wehrlein - 1:20.306 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
17. Kevin Magnussen - 1:20.318 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark
18. Marcus Ericsson - 1:20.362 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
19. Pierre Gasly - 1:21.745 / Toro Rosso-Renault / France
20. Romain Grosjean - 1:25.526 / Haas-Ferrari / France

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Mexican GP: Free Practice #1 - Re-Cap & Times

MEXICAN GP - FREE PRACTICE #1 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Valtteri Bottas topped times in a disrupted free practice session ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix.

    Bottas was more than four tenths of a second faster than team-mate Lewis Hamilton in second. The pair swapped positions at the top of the order in the early stages of the race, before Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen joined the competition.

    At the midpoint of the session, Vettel was top of the order, but dropped down to fifth before the chequered flag.

    Verstappen finished just behind the Mercedes duo, less than a tenth of a second faster than team-mate Daniel Ricciardo.

    The first 90-minute-session in Mexico City was paused twice by a virtual safety car and red flag, brought out by Brendon Hartley and Alfonso Celis Jnr, one of the four Friday drivers running.

    Hartley came to a stop on track in only his second FP1 session of his Formula 1 career. Track action died as the virtual safety car was deployed, but Hartley managed to get the car going again and returned to the pits. He finished the session 18th, a tenth of a second slower than Sean Gelael in 17th.

    Celis’ incident brought out the red flag after he lost the rear end of the Force India and hit the wall in the closing stages of the race. He was the slowest driver to complete a lap time, more than four seconds behind Bottas at the top of the order.

    Ferrari juniors Antonio Giovinazzi and Charles Leclerc were the two other Friday drivers running. Giovinazzi in the Haas was the faster of the two, finishing 0.2s faster than Leclerc in the Sauber.

    A suspected engine problem kept Stoffel Vandoorne in the pits for the majority of the session. He managed to set an instillation lap, when McLaren detected a “potential issue”. It was later found to just be a wheel problem.

    Things were more successful for team-mate Fernando Alonso, who finished the session eighth, behind Sergio Perez and Kimi Raikkonen.

    Felipe Massa finished ninth, ahead of the Renault duo. Nico Hulkenberg got the better of new team-mate Carlos Sainz Jnr, who finished just 0.002s slower than the German.

    Lance Stroll, Kevin Magnussen, and Pascal Wehrlein finished 12th, 13th, and 14th.

TIMES:

1. Valtteri Bottas - 1:17.824 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland
2. Lewis Hamilton - 1:18.290 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain
3. Max Verstappen - 1:18.395 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands
4. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:18.421 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia
5. Sebastian Vettel - 1:18.586 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany
6. Kimi Raikkonen – 1:19.008 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland
7. Sergio Perez - 1:19.240 / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico
8. Fernando Alonso – 1:19.346 / McLaren-Honda / Spain
9. Felipe Massa - 1:19.443 / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil
10. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:19.552 / Renault-Renault / Germany
11. Carlos Sainz - 1:19.554 / Renault-Renault / Spain
12. Lance Stroll - 1:19.772 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada
13. Kevin Magnussen - 1:20.644 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark
14. Pascal Wehrlein - 1:20.971 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
15. Antonio Giovinazzi - 1:21.269 / Haas-Ferrari / Italy*
16. Charles Leclerc - 1:21.446 / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco*
17. Sean Gelael - 1:21.639 / Toro Rosso-Renault / Indonesia*
18. Brendon Hartley - 1:21.747 / Toro Rosso-Renault / New Zealand 
19. Alfonso Celis Jnr - 1:22.342 / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico*
20. Stoffel Vandoorne – NO TIME SET / McLaren-Honda / Belgium

* - Driving in FP1 only

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Mexican GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Toro Rosso

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO F1 TEAM

Pierre Gasly - “I’m really excited about the Mexican GP race weekend! It’s going to be my third race weekend as a Formula 1 driver, this time on a completely new track for me – I’ve never raced there, so it will be exciting to learn a new one. I’ve been there as a reserve driver with Red Bull for the last two years and I think it’s a unique event. The atmosphere there is very special, the fans are great and very passionate. The part of the stadium in the last sector is also amazing, always full of spectators cheering the drivers on. It’s great to see all the grandstands completely full! It’s a special city and we always visit it during Halloween or the ‘Day of the Dead’, and the whole city gets crazy about it – you see people dressed up and with painted faces invading the streets and enjoying the big ‘fiesta’! It’s really cool to see. Hopefully we can have a great race weekend there. I’ll keep pushing together with the team, I’ll try to do my best, keep gaining experience and I really hope we achieve a positive result!”

Brendon Hartley - "I'm so excited to head to Mexico for my second Formula 1 Grand Prix! It was a steep learning curve in Austin last week, so I'm looking forward to putting some of the lessons learnt into practice this weekend here in Mexico. It's a tricky venue for the engineers, as the high altitude plays havoc on down force and cooling, but from a driving point of view it's a great track and one I really enjoy!"

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Mexican GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Ferrari

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - SCUDERIA FERRARI F1 TEAM

Kimi Raikkonen - “Because of the altitude, this track is quite slippery, with very little grip, so it’s easy to lose lap time. In the first part you have a long straight where it’s possible to overtake, while the rest of the track is more similar to a street circuit and there it gets more difficult to pass. But for sure, if you have the speed it should be possible to gain positions. This year we have been pretty strong in most places, so I don’t see any reason why it shouldn’t be the same here. Let’s see how it is tomorrow: with the new cars, given the increased down force they generate, it should be a bit better. In these last three races we are aiming to do the best we can, hopefully fighting for wins.”

Sebastian Vettel - “We are still here to fight and we want to do it till the end. We are trying to do our best and win and then we’ll go from there. Everything that we can learn today will help us for the future, this is the thinking inside the whole team. We need to keep going and push on our development. Last year, the start for us was important as it gave us the best opportunity to attack, but this year, we should have better chances during the race. We have had a mixed year with ups and downs, which I think is normal for a team. There were races we couldn’t finish and that hurts. But we have a good car and on paper we should be more competitive here, so let’s see what happens.”

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Mexican GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Williams

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - WILLIAMS MARTINI RACING

Felipe Massa - “First of all, it’s a shame to see what’s happened, it’s so sad to see the people losing their lives and also their homes from the earthquake so that’s really, really sad. I think we need to help them and get as much support for them. We need to pass the message to people around the world. That is the most important thing. Secondly, they are really in love with Formula One and they go crazy for the race. When you see the people in the grandstand and around the roads, they are proper Formula One fans and I think it’s fantastic to race there. I always enjoy it, I go with some friends, my father and we always enjoy the atmosphere there. It looks very similar to São Paolo so you also feel at home. I really hope we can have an important race for them in this difficult moment.”

Lance Stroll - “This will be the first time I have visited Mexico and all the stories I have heard about the country and the circuit mean I am really looking forward to it. I am particularly looking forward to the stadium section where all the fans are and get really excited. I know there will be a great atmosphere and I can’t wait to get out on the circuit to experience it for myself. Another aspect of Mexico I am looking forward to is the food, as I am a huge fan of Mexican food and I love my spices. It will also be a bit of a special weekend for me as on race day I shall be celebrating my 19th birthday.”

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Mexican GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Red Bull

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - RED BULL RACING FORMULA ONE TEAM

Max Verstappen - "In Mexico I will try my best to get on the podium this year. I was very close to it last year, but unfortunately in the end it didn’t work out for us.

    The track is a great venue and has a unique setting. No other track we go to has a stadium section like Mexico. It just doesn’t compare to any race track I have been to so far. It’s an enjoyable track but not very physical, even though it’s really quick. The fans are really passionate and loud all weekend so I’m definitely excited to get back there and race this year.”

Daniel Ricciardo - “It was a little confusing to be classified third there last year but nonetheless a nice surprise. I enjoyed the track last year more than I did the first year as it started out quite dirty and slippery, which didn’t really give the car a good feeling. Last year it was much better and this year it should improve even more. Even though the stadium section is really slow and not the most adrenaline fueled part of the track, I really enjoy it because it’s so technical.

    The thin air definitely makes a big difference to the car handling. We use the most down force we have and it still feels less than Monza. The car moves around a lot and for that reason you never really feel 100 percent happy, but you just deal with it. The fans are awesome and I would say it’s the best Drivers’ Parade we do all year.”

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Mexican GP: Driver Preview Quotes - McLaren

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - McLAREN HONDA FORMULA 1 TEAM

Fernando Alonso - “It’s very important that we head to Mexico with everybody in our thoughts that has been affected by the recent earthquake, and show them as much support as we possibly can at this really difficult time.

    The welcome we receive in Mexico City is among the best in the world – you can really feel the warmth of the fans all around the circuit, especially in the arena section, and the support is unbelievable. For me, it’s nice to be able to arrive in a country, travel to the hotel and check in using my own language! But seriously, I love Mexico and the Mexican people, and I hope we can put on the show they deserve.

    It will surely be a challenging weekend for us as I’m expecting to start from the back of the grid due to the engine issue we had in Austin. It’s also a track where we often struggle with traffic, which makes overtaking difficult. But, on the positive side, we tested a lot of new components on Friday in the USA which we were very happy with, and we hope to take those forward to use in Mexico.”

Stoffel Vandoorne - “We head to Mexico City very aware of the current situation there and we send all of our support and best wishes to the people of Mexico after such a terrible disaster.

    For McLaren Honda, Mexico will likely be a very tricky race for us because of the long straight and the high altitude, two characteristics which will make things more difficult for us all weekend. As I had to change my PU on race day in Austin, we’re hoping that we won’t have to take penalties on my car in Mexico, but at the moment we’re looking into everything and will wait until Friday to confirm if anything is necessary.

    I last went to Mexico City two years ago and loved the whole experience. We stay downtown and the city is really cool. I remember the awesome atmosphere around the whole track and I’m looking forward to going back there. The fans are amazing and the coolest part of the circuit is the stadium because there are so just many people there. I’ve been preparing to race on this circuit for a while with my engineers in the simulator, and I’m excited to get out on track there for the first time on Friday.”

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Mexican GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Haas

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - HAAS F1 TEAM

Romain Grosjean - “Brake cooling is an issue because of the air density. From there, we also have very little down force because we’re at altitude. I guess the biggest thing for us to feel is the down force loss. The biggest challenge for the car is the cooling.”

Kevin Magnussen - “You need a lot of down force there. As the air is thin, you lose down force. It’s pretty tricky. You can see the effect it has on top speeds. Because the air is so thin, you don’t have a lot of drag from the air down the straight. Our maximum speeds go very high. It’s one of the tricky races that you have to compromise a lot of things in order to cool the car and find down force.

    The atmosphere is awesome. You have the infield part – the stadium part – and it’s always packed. The Mexican people are really into it. It’s a great atmosphere. You notice it on the driver’s parade, for sure. The fans are very passionate.”

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Mexican GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Force India

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - SAHARA FORCE INDIA F1 TEAM

Sergio Perez - “Racing at home means a lot for me. It’s always a busy week, both for me and the team, but being at home makes all the hard work we put in for our fans and our partners worthwhile. It’s definitely the most enjoyable weekend of the year for me. It’s a great race for everyone involved in Formula One. There’s so much passion and the whole week is a big celebration. Everyone in Mexico City is looking forward to the race.

    The track is quite fun to drive and being on those long straights is special. Because of the altitude, even though you’re running high wings, you still achieve very high speeds and it’s really hard to stop the car under braking – in that sense it feels like a bit like Monza.

    I am lucky I get to race in my country in front of my fans. Their support means so much to me and it’s inspiring to see fans waving the Mexican flag in every grandstand. I really want to give them a special result to celebrate.”

Esteban Ocon - “Racing in Mexico is good fun. I am expecting the atmosphere to be fantastic: I had a taste of it last year and the final sector, going through the stadium, is impressive. Motorsport and Formula One are very important for the Mexican fans and to hear them cheering every lap feels very special.

    The track is great. You can find a very good rhythm and you can overtake. The stadium section is very slow and it bunches up the cars just before the very long straight. There are some special corners as well and it’s just a cool track. Turns one and four are good opportunities for overtaking so I am expecting some action through that part of the lap.

    I have a Mexican team mate so this is a special race for the team. Sergio is very popular in Mexico, but I hope there will be a very warm welcome for me as well – similar to what I had last year. Sergio and I had a few difficulties earlier in the year, but we’re good now and there’s a lot of respect between us. We work together for the team to get the best performance possible and I hope all fans will respect that.”

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Mexican GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Renault

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - RENAULT SPORT FORMULA ONE TEAM

Nico Hulkenberg - “Mexico City is a massive place, maybe one of the biggest I’ve ever visited. I’ve been fortunate to fly over it in a helicopter and it’s really mind blowing! The track itself is challenging. We are at high altitude, so we lose a lot of down force because of the air density. It makes the car light and easy to slide. It has a lot of tricky corner combinations which look simple but are extremely technical. It’s certainly not an easy lap. The standout is the final two corners and driving through the stadium. That’s really cool, it’s always loud and a real goose bumps moment.”

Carlos Sainz - “It’s one of my favourite race weekends and a lot of us drivers really enjoy it. We really feel the heat of the crowd there; it’s very special and feels different to any other race. The track is not easy to drive as the effective down force is pretty low, which makes the car feel quite light. There are long straights – so high speeds - then twisty corners which are challenging to get right. My qualifying there hasn’t been too bad, I made Q3 last season.

    You get a good feeling for the atmosphere on the track parade, especially when you say hi to more than 200,000 people, which is pretty special. You really see the passion of the fans and their love for Formula 1; it’s really cool and a great race on the calendar. As a driver, we love seeing this passion and you know it will be special weekend. The stadium is really cool, but even away from that section the grandstands are always packed!

    Trying the Mexican cuisine is a must, even though I’m not a fan of spicy food. I usually go for the quesadillas which aren’t too spicy and are very tasty. It’s strange that my friends nickname me Chili, even though I don’t like spicy food, that doesn’t work very well! Mexico City is extremely busy so you need a good chauffeur who knows some tricks on how to get to places quickly."

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Article Posted By: Amy Hawk
No copyright infringement intended - Quotes belong to drivers
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Mexican GP: Circuit Preview

MEXICAN GP - CIRCUIT PREVIEW + 2016 STATS

Name: Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez

Location: Mexico City, Mexico

Opened: 1962 (Re-Opened: 2015)

Length: 2.674 Miles

Capacity: 110,000

Runs: Clockwise

Turns: 17

Race Laps: 71 Laps

2016 STATS

Pole Position: Lewis Hamilton

1st Place: Lewis Hamilton

2nd Place: Nico Rosberg

3rd Place: Daniel Ricciardo

Retirements: Pascal Wehrlein (Collision)

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk

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Mexican GP: Track Schedule

MEXICAN GP - TRACK SCHEDULE

October 26th / Thursday

11:00 - Drivers Press Conference

15:00 - 15:30 - Pit-Lane Walk (F1 Experiences) (F1 Experience Guests Only)

15:30 - 16:00 - Truck Tour (F1 Experiences) (F1 Experience Guests Only)

16:00 - 17:15 - F1 Drivers Autograph Session

October 27th / Friday

10:00 - 11:30 - Free Practice #1

12:30 - 13:00 - F1 2-Seater (3 x 2 Laps)

12:50 - 13:25 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

13:00 - 13:30 - Paddock Club Truck Tour

14:00 - 15:30 - Free Practice #2

15:40 - 15:45 - F1 2-Seater (1 x 2 Laps)

16:00 - 17:00 - Press Conference

17:40 - 17:45 - F1 2-Seater (1 x 2 Laps)

October 28th / Saturday

07:30 - 08:30 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

07:40 - 08:10 - Paddock Club Truck Tour

08:00 - 08:30 - Team Pit-Stop Practice

10:00 - 11:00 - Free Practice #3

11:55 - 12:25 - Paddock Club Truck Tour

11:55 - 12:40 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

13:00 - 14:00 - Qualifying

14:20 - 14:50 - F1 2-Seater (3 x 2 Laps)

15:55 - 16:00 - F1 2-Seater (1 x 2 Laps)

16:50 - 16:55 - F1 2-Seater (1 x 2 Laps)

17:45 - 18:15 - Paddock Club Truck Tour

October 29th / Sunday

11:10 - 11:15 - F1 2-Seater (1 x 2 Laps)

11:15 - 12:15 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

11:15 - 11:45 - Paddock Club Truck Tour

11:30 - Drivers Track Parade

11:45 - 12:10 - Starting Grid Presentation

12:46 - National Anthem

12:47 - Helicopter Fly Past (TBC)

13:00 - 15:00 - Race

15:00 - 16:30 - After-Podium Show

(Subject to change)

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Written By: Amy Hawk

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Hartley/Gasly To Race For Toro Rosso In Mexico

BRENDON HARTLEY AND PIERRE GASLY CONFIRMED AT TORO ROSSO FOR MEXICAN GP

    Brendon Hartley will continue his Formula 1 career with a second outing with Toro Rosso.

    Hartley was called in to make his F1 debut last weekend at the United States Grand Prix as Pierre Gasly – who had only made his F1 debut the weekend before in Japan – was set to race in the Super Formula season finale.

    Toro Rosso ran an entirely different line-up to its Japanese GP duo, with Carlos Sainz Jnr moving to Renault. Daniil Kvyat, who had only just lost his seat to Gasly, was drafted in to race Sainz’s car.

    With Hartley continuing for a second race and Gasly back from Japan, it’s another demotion for Kvyat.

    Toro Rosso has just recently confirmed that Daniil Kvyat will not be returning to Toro Rosso for Brazil or Abu Dhabi as well and there is no word on where the Russian will be headed for 2018. 

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
Edited By: Amy Hawk
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US GP: Race - Re-Cap & Results

US GP - RACE - RE-CAP & RESULTS

    As the lights went out for the 6th straight year at Circuit of The Americas, it was all or nothing for Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, who have both been pushing harder than ever in hopes of winning the 2017 Drivers Championship. 

    It was Vettel who got the better start, easily getting around the silver Mercedes. However, with an easy game of catch-up, Hamilton would re-take the lead by lap 6.

    Nico Hulkenberg found himself to be the first retirement of the race and it was only 4 laps in that he suffered from an engine issue. New team-mate, Carlos Sainz, had better mechanical luck and finished his first race for Renault in the points, bringing the car home in 7th.

    Pascal Wehrlein was the next retirement after a collision with Magnussen. There were no penalties given but Magnussen has had plenty of heat lately surrounding his driving. He had already picked up a 3-Place-Grid-Penalty for impeding Perez during Qualifying. Magnussen then later collided with Wehrlein's team-mate, Ericsson, but it was Ericsson who was found guilty of causing the collision. The Swedish driver had a 5-Second-Time-Penalty added to his final race time.

    Both Alonso and Ricciardo also fell victim to engine issues, with both drivers retiring before lap 30. Alonso recently signed on to stay at McLaren for 2018. The team will be using Renault engines next year and it could be a chance for the team to fight for podiums and potential wins after a long drought.

    Force India ended their weekend with another double-points haul. Perez finished in 8th, while team-mate, Ocon, finished in 6th after battling an illness that left him feeling miserable during Qualifying the day before. Perez had been battling an illness as well during the Malaysian GP weekend and had required IV fluids.

    Brendon Hartley made his F1 race debut and finished in 13th, just a few places away from grabbing a championship point. Kvyat, who got called back to race after being replaced at Malaysia and Japan by Pierre Gasly, managed to grab that last point by bringing his Toro Rosso home in 10th. However, this proved to be not enough for him to stay on for the Mexican GP as the team decides to run Hartley and Gasly instead.

    Lewis Hamilton brought home the win after a tough battle, trying to fight Vettel off nearly the whole way through. Vettel still prevailed as he crossed the finish line in 2nd. An important finish that keeps him in the running for the 2017 title. 

    Max Verstappen battled his way to third after a slight collision with Valtteri Bottas and a high-speed overtake on Kimi Raikkonen in the final corners on the last lap. However, he was handed a 5-Second-Time-Penalty after as he had taken all 4 wheels off the track when making the move.

    Verstappen expressed his disappointment and confusion in the media afterward, citing that Bottas had taken all 4 wheels off the track in their earlier battle but had not received any penalty at all. Thus shows what appears to be inconsistency in the rules. 3rd place was handed to Raikkonen, who looked a little shocked to suddenly be up on the podium with a trophy.

    While Hamilton still has plenty to fight for, he was quick to celebrate as Mercedes received the 2017 Constructors trophy and title.

RESULTS:

1. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 25 Points

2. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / + 18 Points

3. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / + 15 Points

4. Max Verstappen / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands / + 12 Points*

5. Valtteri Bottas / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland / + 10 Points

6. Esteban Ocon / Force India-Mercedes / France / + 8 Points

7. Carlos Sainz / Renault-Renault / Spain / + 6 Points

8. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico / + 4 Points

9. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil / + 2 Points

10. Daniil Kvyat / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia / + 1 Point

11. Lance Stroll / Williams-Mercedes / Canada 

12. Stoffel Vandoorne / McLaren-Honda / Belgium

13. Brendon Hartley / Toro Rosso-Renault / New Zealand

14. Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France

15. Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden**

16. Kevin Magnussen / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark

RETIRED - Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain / Engine

RETIRED - Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia / Engine

RETIRED - Pascal Wehrlein / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany / Collision Damage

RETIRED - Nico Hulkenberg / Renault-Renault / Germany / Engine

* - Notes Verstappen originally finished 3rd but received a 5-Second-Time-Penalty for taking all 4 wheels off the track while overtaking Raikkonen

** - Notes Ericsson received a 5-Second-Time-Penalty for causing a collision with Magnussen

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk

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