By: Dear Formula1.it friends, the Mexican Grand Prix has also come to an end. Between the great emotions provided by Kimi Antonelli, the turmoil at Ferrari and a Max Verstappen who continues to rack up victories, there is certainly no shortage of talking points and our verdicts can wait no longer. Are you ready? Let’s begin!
Kimi, you are history!
There is not much else to say about the success achieved by our boy, who at just 20 years old joins the giants of motorsport: the tears in the closing laps, the embrace with his family, the celebrations with Verstappen and Hamilton are the perfect backdrop to a Sunday we will certainly always remember (10 out of 10).
There is a big lump in many throats
What happened at the start between Charles Leclerc (7) and Lewis Hamilton (8) sparked the Sir’s fury. With that forked tongue of his, he was practically insulting even us over the team radio for what had happened, once again placing Ferrari at the centre of controversy.
While Lewis turned into the Big Bad Wolf, Charles merely defended his choices, which apparently stem from a personal reflection still unknown to us: is a Darth Vader transformation imminent?
In any case, we will never know whether this victory was within our reach, but at least we finished P2 and P4: an honest haul that we cannot complain about. My boys, it is fine to seize opportunities, but this championship has been over for quite some time, so stay calm and keep cool heads.
When two quarrel... Max rejoices
While Ferrari wastes time pointing fingers, Max Verstappen (9) takes advantage and wins the Mexican Grand Prix too, his sixth at the Hermanos Rodriguez. Everything went right for the Dutchman in a race that included the starts, and who knows whether he can repeat the feat in his Brazil; for now, Max takes P2 in the championship but, as he himself admitted, it is the most useless thing for a driver who only wants to win. Chapeau.
Lightning points!
Norris (7+) continues to do his job and finishes fifth, followed by Russell (6), who with that 10-second penalty for his contact with poor Hadjar, puts the seal on a disastrous season that is difficult to swallow. While George waits for the Malox, Isack (7) climbs back into the top 10 like a boxer in the biggest fight of his life, while Bortoleto and Lawson (7) take advantage of others’ penalties to claim a few precious points.
From Ocon-gate to verdicts on the rest of the field
Have you missed the gossip? EstieBestie (0) is here to entertain us! The tragicomic situation that unfolded on Friday in Mexico has stirred fans’ curiosity. Were there shoves? Raised voices? Too much speculation and too few certainties. One of them is that Ocon has flown to Europe and we do not know whether he will return for Brazil, although I find it very difficult to believe that he will. In a twist of fate, not only did Hirakawa (7) contest a full F1 weekend, he even scored a point. Perhaps he dedicated it to Esteban!
Moving on to the rest of the field, Bearman (6) is taken out by Hulkenberg (4) and loses a big opportunity to finish in the points; a real shame, given what he was building. Alpine (7) is hammered by the FIA, losing both points-scoring finishes. Lindblad’s (7) race was also ruined after being attacked by an increasingly anonymous Piastri (4). Finally, it was a disaster across the board for Aston Martin, whose drivers cover more kilometres on foot (1).
Next stop, Brazil: a place of history and absolute charm. Who will manage to stand on the top step?
See you very soon, my friends,
Your Rompipaddock.
Both photos in the main cover courtesy of: Finlay Williams / WHYOUT images
Internal photo by Ryan fleming / WHYOUT images
