Mexico City

The race featured significant disruptions, most notably a violent crash for Kevin Magnussen on lap 33 caused by a rear suspension failure. This led to a lengthy red flag period to repair the Tecpro barriers after his Haas car burst into flames. Earlier, a brief Virtual Safety Car was deployed to clear debris from the Turn 1 collision between Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc.

The start was pure chaos as Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez both used the massive slipstream to attack the front-row Ferraris. In a heart-stopping moment, the cars went three-wide into Turn 1, resulting in Perez being launched into the air after colliding with Leclerc. Further down the order, Lando Norris faced a massive recovery task after a poor qualifying left him starting 17th on the grid.

The final top ten represented a healthy mix of the grid, with four different manufacturers occupying the top five positions. Red Bull, Mercedes, and Ferrari battled for the podium spots, while McLaren and AlphaTauri showed impressive pace. Daniel Ricciardo’s seventh-place finish for AlphaTauri was a standout result, proving that multiple teams had the machinery to compete near the front.

The long straights of the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez facilitated a high volume of wheel-to-wheel action throughout the afternoon. Lando Norris was the primary protagonist, carving his way through the field twice—once after starting 17th and again after dropping to 14th at the restart. His late-race surges past established front-runners ensured the overtake count remained exceptionally high for a high-altitude track.

Strategy played a pivotal role, particularly following the mid-race red flag which allowed for a variety of tactical gambles. Lewis Hamilton notably opted for the Medium compound for the final 36-lap sprint, a move that allowed him to overtake Leclerc on track. Meanwhile, the Ferraris and Verstappen stuck to the Hard tyres, creating a high-stakes contrast in grip and degradation levels toward the end.

Five drivers failed to see the checkered flag in a race of attrition. The most high-profile retirement was Sergio Perez, whose home race ended in tears at Turn 1 following his airborne collision. Kevin Magnussen suffered a heavy impact into the wall, while Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll, and Logan Sargeant also joined the list of retirements due to various technical issues and damage.

While the lead was largely controlled by Verstappen, the battle within the top ten was intense and dynamic. Lewis Hamilton successfully hunted down and passed Charles Leclerc for second place using his Medium tyres. Later in the race, Lando Norris executed a series of clinical moves on Nico Hulkenberg, Alexander Albon, Oscar Piastri, and George Russell to climb into the top five.

Max Verstappen maintained a comfortable cushion at the front, finishing nearly 14 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton. While the battle for second between Hamilton and Leclerc was closer, the gap between the top three widened significantly in the closing laps as drivers managed their temperatures in the thin Mexican air.

Pirelli brought the softest range of compounds to Mexico—the C3, C4, and C5—but the race was primarily dictated by the Hard and Medium sets. While the Softs were used during the initial qualifying sessions and briefly considered for the restart, the majority of the competitive running was concentrated on the two harder available compounds.

The 2023 edition was a mix of a dominant individual performance and high-stakes drama elsewhere. The shocking exit of home hero Sergio Perez at the start and the heavy Magnussen crash provided the major talking points, though the overall victory never felt in doubt once Verstappen cleared the Ferraris.

The weather remained perfectly clear and dry throughout the weekend in Mexico City. High track temperatures of over 47°C posed more of a challenge to the teams than precipitation, as cooling and tyre management became the primary environmental concerns rather than rain.