Despite starting the 2023 Mexican Grand Prix from the third position due to a less-than-ideal qualifying session, Max Verstappen showcased the superiority bestowed upon him by Red Bull. Seizing the lead in the very first corner of the opening lap, he demonstrated his true pace and that of the Red Bull as he effortlessly cruised to victory. Polesitter Charles Leclerc once again highlighted Ferrari’s impressive one-lap pace. However, the Ferrari seems to struggle with “Humpty Dumpty” form, consistently perching at the top during qualifying only to experience a significant downturn on race day.
Leclerc experienced a less-than-ideal start in contrast to Sergio Perez, who swiftly advanced from 5th to third approaching turn one. While racing side by side with Leclerc, Perez attempted to sweep around the outside but he overestimated his ambition, resulting in a collision with Leclerc. This incident sent Perez spinning off into the run-off area, leading to his eventual retirement from the race.
Initially, Verstappen navigated the race with precision, but the proceedings were disrupted by a red flag incident on lap 33 involving Kevin Magnussen, who suffered a heavy crash due to a suspension failure. At the restart Verstappen continued to assert his dominance, the race behind him unfolded in a somewhat stalemate fashion with occasional sparks of interest.
Lando Norris, who faced the challenge of a woeful qualifying that left him stranded in 19th, patiently charged through the field and impressively secured a 5th-place finish. Lewis Hamilton quickly advanced to the second position as the Ferraris encountered yet another great fall during the race. Emphasizing Ferrari’s fluctuating performance, pole-sitter Leclerc finished the race in 3rd place, trailing Hamilton by 10 seconds.
Mexican Grand Prix: Results
1 Max VERSTAPPEN Red Bull 71 laps
2 Lewis HAMILTON Mercedes +13.875
3 Charles LECLERC Ferrari +23.124
4 Carlos SAINZ Ferrari +27.154
5 Lando NORRIS McLaren +33.266
6 George RUSSELL Mercedes +41.020
7 Daniel RICCIARDO AlphaTauri +41.570
8 Oscar PIASTRI McLaren +43.104
9 Alexander ALBON Williams +48.573
10 Esteban OCON Alpine +62.879
11 Pierre GASLY Alpine +66.208
12 Yuki TSUNODA AlphaTauri +78.982
13 Nico HULKENBERG Haas +80.309
14 Valtteri BOTTAS Alfa Romeo +80.597
15 Guanyu ZHOU Alfa Romeo +81.676
16 Logan SARGEANT Williams
DNFs
Lance STROLL Aston Martin
Fernando ALONSO Aston Martin
Kevin MAGNUSSEN Haas
Sergio PEREZ Red Bull
