F1 Mexico Grand Prix LIVE: Carlos Sainz wins from pole position ahead of Lando Norris
F1 live updates from the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez as the world title battle continues with Lando Norris cutting the gap Max Verstappen
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Carlos Sainz took a well deserved victory at the Mexico Grand Prix winning the race from pole position ahead of Lando Norris who made vital ground in the drivers championship on leader Max Verstappen.
Verstappen started the race on the front row and overtook Sainz heading to the first corner but a crash for Yuki Tsunodo brought out the safety car. After the restart Sainz swept past Verstappen as Norris looked to gain ground on the Red Bull.
The two title rivals tussled for position with Verstappen being very aggressive and forcing Norris off the track to maintain his position behind Sainz. It was one of two serious errors that caused the Red Bull driver to be penalised by 20-seconds which effectively forced him out of the race.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc safely positioned himself behind Sainz but lost second place to Norris in the closing stages and had to settle for third.
Relive the updates from the Mexican Grand Prix with The Independent:
Norris reacts to finishing second
Lando Norris pulled off a remarkable second place finish and gained 10-points in the world championship battle.
He said: “It was a very tough race. The first few laps a lot of it was just trying to stay in the race and avoid any crashes.
“Carlos drove a very good race so congratulations to Carlos and Ferrari, they were very quick today. I tried my best and a big thanks to all the fans, the fans make it very enjoyable here so big thank you to everyone.”
More from Sainz
The Mexico GP winner, Carlos Sainz, performed a superb overtake on Max Verstappen after losing the lead in the first lap. From there he never looked like losing the race.
On overtaking Verstappen he said: “I didn’t prepare to be honest. I was just a bit annoyed at the start having lost position to him and I said I need to surprise him one way or another, as he’s super difficult to pass, he’s proven it many many times.
“I was a bit far back but I said I’ve got nothing to lose I’m just going to send one down the inside, I’ve been confident in the braking to Turn One this weekend and I knew I could make it.”
Post race reaction from Carlos Sainz
Carlos Sainz won his second race of the season in the Ferrari. He spoke to Sky Sports after the race saying: “It’s incredible to see this crowd, I’ve been feeling their support all week and I feel like I’ve got a lot of fan support here in Mexico and they’ve given me a lot of strength.
“Honestly I really wanted this one, I needed it 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. Now four races left I want to enjoy as much as possible and if another one comes I will go for it.”
Lando Norris wins latest clash with Max Verstappen as world title battle heats up again
Lando Norris cut Max Verstappen’s world championship lead by 10 points after the Red Bull driver was handed 20 seconds in penalties as he forced his title rival off the track in a dramatic Mexican Grand Prix.
Norris drove a brilliant final stint to finish second in Mexico City, behind winner Carlos Sainz but crucially four places ahead of Verstappen as he cut the lead to 47 points with four races remaining and 120 points to play for.
Norris was demoted behind Verstappen after being penalised for overtaking his rival off the track in Austin last time out, with the controversial incident dominating the agenda throughout this weekend.
Norris wins latest clash with Verstappen as world title battle heats up again
Carlos Sainz won the Mexican Grand Prix with Norris finishing second and Verstappen sixth after being hit with 20 seconds worth of penalties
‘Not enough’ Zak Brown addresses Verstappen’s penalties
McLaren boss Zak Brown was asked about Max Verstappen’s penalties during the race and he told Sky Sports: “Probably not enough.
“I mean, it’s getting a bit ridiculous. I applaud the FIA stewards. Enough is enough. Let’s just have some good clean racing moving forwards.
“I think the stewards are on it, I think that’s clear by the penalties that were given. The stewards did a good job this weekend.”
Ferrari making moves
In the constructors’ title fight, Ferrari are now up to second having jumped ahead of Red Bull. The Italian team are just 29 points off leaders McLaren with four races remaining.
This is a close one to call as well.
Norris cuts the gap on Verstappen
Lando Norris is now just 47 points behind Max Verstappen in the drivers’ championship and could pull off a historic world title win if he keeps going at this rate.
There are four races left in the season, including extra points for sprint races in Brazil and Qatar. Could the McLaren pull this off?
Mexico Grand Prix leaderboard
Bottom half:
11. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
12. Franco Colapinto (Williams)
13. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
14. Valtteri Bottas (Sauber)
15. Zhou Guanyu (sauber)
16. Liam Lawson (RB)
17. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
DNF. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
DNF. Alex Albon (Williams)
DNF. Yuki Tsunoda (RB)
Mexico Grand Prix leaderboard
The top 10 finishers:
1. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
2. Lando Norris (McLaren)
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
4. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
5. George Russell (Mercedes)
6. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
7. Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
8. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
9. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)
10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
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