Max Verstappen has rushed unstoppably. He will probably be able to expand the new season win record – not a good sign for the Formula 1 competition. But thanks to Mercedes, things are getting exciting again in the team classification. It stays that way for Mick Schumacher, who is frustrated again after the Mexican Grand Prix.
Nothing seems to be able to stop Max Verstappen in the 2022 season. The combination of the currently best driver in the best car is too big a hurdle for any other driver. The reward: an entry in the history books of Formula 1. The Dutchman has achieved 14 victories this season, and no driver has ever been more successful in one year. In Mexico, Verstappen once again demonstrated his talent in tire management. With the degrading soft, Verstappen was fast enough to keep Lewis Hamilton at a distance. Even after switching to medium tires, Verstappen had everything under control. By the season finale, he can extend the record to 16 victories. It’s not an unlikely scenario.
In the end, the Mexican was still a leading actor. The local hero was loudly celebrated by his compatriots on the podium. It wasn’t enough for the hoped-for home win, but Perez could still be satisfied. In the drivers’ standings, the 32-year-old moved past Ferrari star Charles Leclerc to second place. There was nothing more to get for Perez.
The fact that the Silver Arrows are on the right track on the home stretch of a bumpy season was already indicated last week in Austin. In Mexico there was the next podium for the second-placed record champion Lewis Hamilton. At the end of a good weekend, that even seemed a bit little. In the end, Mercedes and George Russell had dominated the practice sessions, and grid positions two and three were also promising. The pace was right in the race, but the choice of tires was wrong. “We grabbed the toilet,” said motorsport boss Toto Wolff succinctly. Whether the outstanding Max Verstappen could have been beaten with the same choice of tires remains unanswered. Nonetheless, the trend is right. The lucrative second place in the constructors’ championship behind Red Bull is still possible. The gap to Ferrari shrank to 40 points.
The budget dispute over Red Bull has officially been settled with the FIA ??verdict announced on Friday. A fine of seven million dollars and a ten percent reduction in the wind tunnel test program – Red Bull Racing was punished for exceeding the permitted budget limit in 2021. What remains is a poisoned climate in the paddock and damage to the reputation of the Verstappen team. Team boss Christian Horner’s demand for an apology from the rivals seemed out of place in this context. Humility would have been appropriate, after all the sanctions could have been much higher – which the majority of the competition would have endorsed. The turbulence of the past few weeks is likely to have an impact for a long time to come.
Not everything was bad. “A good qualifying lap, even if it didn’t count,” said Mick Schumacher, taking positive insights with him. He had been in sixth place for a short time, then it was deleted. He had driven over the lane limit. On at least one lap, the Haas car had shown itself to be competitive. Ultimately it was only enough for 16th place in the qualification. So the starting position was already bad. In the race it went even worse, in the end it was 16th place. Sky asked Schumacher when he realized that nothing was going on. “First round,” he replied promptly. “Even if we had had a good start, we would have been handed down,” said Schumacher. The speed just wasn’t there. With both cars – teammate Kevin Magnussen, who had to start from second to last place because of a grid penalty, finished 17th behind his German teammate. Schumacher’s hope is that Mexico’s disappointing result will not “play a huge factor in contract talks”. However, team boss Günther Steiner had previously indicated that a decision in the fight for the Haas cockpit should be made after the race.
Sebastian Vettel will not have too good a memory of the trip to Mexico. The four-time world champion was dissatisfied with the performance of the stubborn Aston Martin, he never really warmed up to his car at high altitudes. After qualifying, Vettel complained that the race hardly got any better. Vettel can hope for improvement twice more – in Brazil and at the end of the season in Abu Dhabi. Then the career of the Heppenheimer ends in Formula 1. He wants to drive at least in the points again.
There is a party mood. Almost 400,000 people attended the race weekend. An atmosphere like in Bundesliga derbies, passion and joie de vivre. Just one thing, it’s the same at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez: the circuit isn’t exactly predestined for spectacular races. Hardly any overtaking manoeuvres, the most tension resulted from the tire changes.
(This article was first published on Monday, October 31, 2022.)
