F1 In Mexico
Jaime Halstuch
Staff Writer
What a couple of weeks has it been for the Tifosi and Ferrari, with both drivers making the podium in Austin and Mexico City, each winning one of the races. The fierce competition between Max Verstappen and Lanco Norris for the Drivers’ Championship has favored Ferrari. After a challenging Sprint and Qualification for the Italian team, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc finished qualification third and fourth, respectively, with Verstappen at pole and Norris at second. In a tight first corner of the race, Max tried defending Lando, who had a great start, and ended with both going wide; Carlos tried avoiding Lando and ended up going wide, too, which gave Charles a clear road to rake the lead. Lando and Max kept fighting, which ended up slowing them down and helping Carlos complete the one-two. Max and Lando kept fighting tight, and later in the race, Max forced Lando wide again, who surpassed him. This ended up being a five-second penalty for Lando, which gave Max the last podium spot.
Carlos took the pole in Mexico, followed by Max, Lando, and Charles. Red Bull’s RB20 did not look too good; although Max did have a remarkable comeback after a slow start, the car is not performing as expected. Ferrari’s fantastic strategy gave Charles enough time to get new tires for his last lap and take the fastest lap point away from Checo Perez, who had earned it a lap before. That added to Carlos’s win and Leclerc’s third-place finish, allowed Ferrari to take second place away from Red Bull in the Constructors Championship, putting them 25 points ahead. With four races to go, Ferrari is only 29 points behind McLaren, having outscored them in the past two races.
Red Bull’s real problem and the biggest drama in the F1 grid right now is Sergio “Checo” Perez. He finished 7th in Austin and 17th in Mexico, being the last driver to finish the race. Although he does have a contract with Red Bull for the next two seasons, rumors indicate that the team would be looking to finalize his contract. Franco Colapinto, who drives for Williams, is the season’s biggest surprise. Colapinto made his debut in Monza and only finished behind his teammate in his first two races, after which he outscored him by at least six positions and has scored points in two out of the five races. Colapinto will not have a seat at Williams next season as Carlos Sainz will take it after being replaced by Hamilton in Ferrari. Red Bull already asked Williams about Colapinto, and if they can successfully negotiate Checo’s termination, Red Bull’s second seat will have an Argentinian flag with Colapinto. Formula 1 wants Colapinto to race next year as he brings a bigger audience from South America.
The next stop is Interlagos in Sao Paulo, Brazil, home of one of the greatest of all time, Ayrton Senna, and what could be considered Franco Colapinto’s home race. It will be a great race that assures a fast pace and many emotions. With four races to go, Norris must hope for a miracle against Verstappen. Ferrari must keep it up with those double podiums. Both championships are tight, and the fight for seats for next season is tight. There is not a better time of the season to watch Formula 1.
Contact Jaime at jaime.halstuch@student.shu.edu