F1 Mexico GP Live Commentary and Updates - Race
Minute-by-minute updates from the 2024 Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix
Carlos Sainz took his first pole position of the 2024 season on Saturday for the middle event of the F1 triple-header.
He will be followed off the grid by Max Verstappen, Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc, and Lando Norris. Home hero Sergio Perez and Norris' McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri will line up in 18th and 17th respectively.
The lights will go out to signal the race start at 8pm GMT.
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And now it's time for the champagne! Thank goodness for Bizet.
No trophy dramas this weekend, a rather fetching silver number it has to be said.
The Spanish national anthem concludes and the Italian iteration starts.
As usual, a singalong emanates from underneath the podium. Bliss.
Onto the podium Leclerc and Norris go, before Sainz emerges on the levitating podium with his car.
Just an awesome, awesome ceremony in Mexico once again.
Leclerc is having a laugh about his last-corner near-miss in the cooldown room.
My heart is still beating from that moment. Still stunned by the save.
Sainz: "It is incredible to see this crowd. I really wanted this one, needed it for myself. I have been saying I want one more win before leaving Ferrari."
Norris: "It was a tough race. The first few laps, a lot of it was trying to stay in the race and avoid a few crashes."
A lot of booing as Norris starts his answer.
Leclerc: "Third was the best we could achieve. An amazing race by Carlos and a great weekend overall for the team."
Sainz and his mechanics celebrate, and rightly so.
Driver of the day also bagged as the Mariachi version of the F1 theme blares out.
As is customary at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, the top three park up at the entrance to the Foro Sol ready for a very special podium.
Magnussen holds off Piastri for seventh, with Hulkenberg ninth on a stunning day again for Haas, with Gasly 10th for Alpine.
Perez fails at taking the fastest lap away from Leclerc. A fitting cherry to top yet another woeful weekend for the Mexican, who crosses the line in 17th, to round out the order.
Hamilton crosses the line fourth ahead of Mercedes team-mate Russell.
Verstappen finishes sixth after the controversy earlier in the race.
Norris finishes second, with a big swing in the drivers' title race to Verstappen.
Leclerc crosses the line and takes the fastest lap for an extra point as it stands.
Carlos Sainz wins the Mexico Grand Prix!
What a drive from the Spaniard - that's two in a row for Ferrari.
Perez will attempt to set the fastest lap - while finishing last.
Leclerc has a completely clear lap to attack for the fastest lap on his new softs.
Sainz begins the final lap!
That Lawson defence against Colapinto at Turn 1 looked an awful lot like racing to the apex and then shoving the outside attacker wide - where might he have learned that…?
"I'm guessing it was the same idiot again," says Perez after being warned of debris on the track.
This "idiot" was Lawson, who dropped his endplate after the Colapinto contact.
"Box, box for fastest lap."
That's Leclerc's signal to fly.
Sainz has got this - Norris is catching in the middle sector where the McLaren is mighty in the fast corners, but it doesn’t look like being enough.
Four laps to go as Sainz crosses the line and the gap to Norris is 6.7s.
That should be good enough for the Spaniard on current lap times.
Hard racing from Lawson and Colapinto results in front wing damage for the former. Lawson arguably forced the Williams driver off the track at Turn 1 but the rejoin was questionable.
With both parties able to act differently, it could be viewed as a racing incident but has been noted by the stewards.
This time Hamilton gets the job done into the first corner. A huge cheer from the crowd as he does so too.
Max looks a trial too far for Piastri, who is still 5.2s behind Magnussen. The drive of the Haas man should not be underestimated today as he currently circulates in 7th.
The Mercedes drivers are back together and Hamilton attacks into T1 but Russell goes super late on the defensive! That was close.
Again, Hamilton has to settle for the outside at T4 and again stares at the back of his team-mate.
Leclerc has told his team to "think about the fastest lap" as he drops three seconds behind Norris.
Behind, Magnussen is down to within five seconds of Verstappen in sixth. The Red Bull driver is struggling.
"The wind has picked up." Norris has turned weatherman in his car.
That usually means rain is on the way but with just seven laps to go at the end of the current tour, the chequered flag may beat the weather.
To put that into perspective, it would have been a red flag crash, simple as.
I would think about pitting Leclerc now with 30 seconds back to Russell.
He could get the extra fastest lap point for the constructors' title battle too.
WOAH! Leclerc has a huge swap out of the final corner as he tried to punch down the straight. Somehow - and I mean somehow - he kept his car out of the wall.
That would have been huge, what a save from last week's race winner. Norris is into second.
DRS is open for Norris.
He gets the fastest lap back on tour 61 and attacks the Ferrari. Leclerc is struggling - Sainz is eight seconds ahead now - and second looks like Norris's.
"Go and get Max," McLaren instructs Piastri. He's 12 seconds back with nine laps to go. That is beyond a tall order but he has far fresher tyres!
Lap 60 and Hamilton is finally in attacking range. He goes to the outside of T4, then T5 and T6 but Russell holds firm on the inside on all occasions. Great racing from the Silver Arrows.
In case you were wondering, Perez is still in 16th, ahead of only Zhou. Ocon is 3s clear of the Mexican.
It won't be DRS this time for Norris - the gap at 1.2s.
Hamilton is still fighting Russell but has an armful of oversteer to contend with. He has to settle for P5 for at least another lap.
Cautious of the incoming threat of Piastri, Magnussen has registered his fastest lap of the race with a 1m20.691s. The Haas driver is not going to give this up without a fight.
By: Autosport Staff
