Carlos Sainz won the Mexican Grand Prix: Max Verstappen, the villain

AdminOctober 27, 2024

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Carlos Sainz won the Mexican Grand Prix: Max Verstappen, the villain

Intractable Carlos Sainz and intractable Ferrari. Not so much Leclerc, who prevented the Maranello team’s second double in a row and the Italians’ third 1-2 in 2024. The SF-24 represents the battle between the McLaren MCL38 and the Red Bull RB20 in the constructors’ championship, against the madness of Max Verstappen at the Mexican Grand Prix and Fernando Alonso’s refusal of Aston Martin in his 400th participation in Formula 1. The World Championship is gaining momentum.

Max Verstappen spices up the Mexican Grand Prix

At times he recalled the most despicable version of Michael Schumacher. Max Verstappen did not expect that his main championship rival Lando Norris would beat him in a superior car. The Dutchman went so far as to commit illegal acts to keep his former friend from McLaren. He even knocked papaya off the pavement twice. And of course, the FIA was finally forced to act.

The three-time champion received two separate penalties of 10 seconds each: the first for sending off Norris and the second for taking advantage off the track. Max also didn’t complain much about the fines that were reported on the radio. A full-fledged villain who disappointed even his followers.

Open war between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris at the Mexican Grand Prix

Jared S. Tilton//Getty Images

In the end, Verstappen was doomed to finish in a very bitter sixth position, but he deserved it for his actions. Up front, a very fighting Mercedes finished in fourth and fifth positions, with Lewis Hamilton ahead of George Russell. For his part, Norris moved up to second place on the podium, ahead of Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque miraculously failed to survive under the protection of the last turn. And yes, Carlos Sainz was declared the winner of the Mexican Grand Prix. This may be his last victory in Formula 1. May fate mislead us.

Yuki Tsunoda crashed at a speed of 300 km/h.

Another highlight of the Mexican Grand Prix was the high-speed collision between the RB driver and Alex Albon in the opening metres. The contact of wheel to wheel sent Yuki Tsunoda into motion, who crawled along the left wall of the main straight at breakneck speed and rolled down. Both he and Thai Williams retired from the race with permanent injuries.

Fernando Alonso was another failure: the two-time Spanish champion suffered a reliability problem in his Aston Martin AMR24 and retired to the garage during his 400th Formula 1 Grand Prix appearance. Brighter moments were to come.