Sainz wins Mexico GP; Ferrari passes Red Bull in F1 standings

Carlos Sainz took a dominant win at the Mexico City Grand Prix, ahead of Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc. Ferrari’s double podium finish, combined with Red Bull’s struggles, now sees the Italian team surge ahead of the reigning world champions in the constructors’ standings.

1. Sainz wins 4.705 secs ahead of Leclerc
2. Verstappen handed 20-second time penalty for Norris clash
3. Alonso retires from his 400th F1 race

Double penalties for Verstappen

Ferrari followed up its US GP 1-2 finish with another double podium in Mexico, this time with Sainz leading the way. The Spaniard initially lost the lead to Max Verstappen at the start, but he reclaimed the place on Lap 9.

Norris joined in on the action a lap later, and the resulting scrap between the two title rivals saw Verstappen being handed two 10-second penalties – one for forcing Norris off the track at Turn 4, and another for leaving the track and gaining an advantage at Turn 8. Leclerc, meanwhile, took advantage of this to sneak through into second place.

Both Ferrari drivers on podium

The Ferrari duo then held on to the top two spots for most of the race, but Norris started closing the gap towards the end. Leclerc had a scare on Lap 62 as he ran wide into the final corner, just avoiding contact with the barriers. He managed to recover, but lost second place to Norris.

The McLaren driver tried catching Sainz, but ran out of time and had to settle for second place. Sainz crossed the line 4.7 secs ahead of Norris to score his fourth F1 win. “Honestly, I really wanted this one, I really needed it also for myself – I wanted to get it done. I’ve been saying for a while I wanted one more win before leaving Ferrari and to do it here in front of this mega crowd is incredible,” said Sainz, who is set to move to Williams next season, with Hamilton taking his spot at Ferrari.

“Now, four races left, I want to enjoy as much as possible and if another one comes, I will go for it."

The Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Behind them, Verstappen recovered to finish sixth, followed by Kevin Magnussen.

Oscar Piastri crossed the line in eighth place, battling his way up from P17 on the grid. Nico Hulkenberg and Pierre Gasly rounded out the top 10. The race marked Fernando Alonso’s milestone 400th F1 Grand Prix appearance. However, his celebrations were cut short after he was forced to retire due to brake issues.

2024 F1 standings

Norris has now slashed Verstappens championship lead to 47 points, but with just four races remaining, he’s running out of time to dethrone his rival. Leclerc is third overall, 24 points behind Norris.

The Mexico GP also had a big impact on the constructors’ standings. McLaren still holds on to the lead, but Ferrari has now passed Red Bull to move up to second place – 29 points behind McLaren and 25 points clear of Red Bull.

Next up is the Sao Paulo GP on November 1-3.

2024 F1 Mexico GP results

Also see:

F1 US GP: Leclerc leads Ferrari 1-2