2023 Mexico City Grand Prix

The 2023 Mexico City Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Gran Premio de la Ciudad de México 2023) was a Formula One motor race held on 29 October 2023 at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, Mexico. It was the nineteenth round of the 2023 Formula One World Championship. Charles Leclerc took pole position and finished third in the race. Lewis Hamilton finished in second behind Max Verstappen, who took his sixteenth victory of the season, a record in Formula One. Daniel Ricciardo, driving for AlphaTauri, qualified in fourth and finished in seventh, the team's best results of the season for both sessions.

2023 Mexico City Grand Prix
Race 19 of 22 in the 2023 Formula One World Championship
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Layout of the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez
Layout of the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez
Race details[1]
Date 29 October 2023
Official name Formula 1 Gran Premio de la Ciudad de México 2023
Location Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez
Mexico City, Mexico
Course Permanent racing facility
Course length 4.304 km (2.674 miles)
Distance 71 laps, 305.354 km (189.738 miles)
Weather Sunny
Attendance 400,639[2]
Pole position
Driver Ferrari
Time 1:17.166
Fastest lap
Driver United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
Time 1:21.334 on lap 71
Podium
First Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
Second Mercedes
Third Ferrari
Lap leaders

Background

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The event was held across the weekend of 27–29 October. It was the nineteenth round of the 2023 Formula One World Championship, the 23rd Formula One Grand Prix at this circuit, and the third held under the name of the Mexico City Grand Prix, having previously been titled the Mexican Grand Prix.[3][4]

Championship standings before the race

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Coming into the weekend, Max Verstappen led the Drivers' Championship with 466 points. He led his teammate Sergio Pérez by 226 points and Lewis Hamilton by a further 39 points. Hamilton was ahead of Fernando Alonso in fourth by 18 points, with Carlos Sainz Jr. in fifth, 8 points behind Alonso. Red Bull Racing led the Constructors' Championship with 706 points, 362 points ahead of Mercedes and a further 22 points ahead of Ferrari. McLaren, in fourth, was behind Ferrari by 80 points and ahead of Aston Martin, in fifth, by 6 points.[5]

Entrants

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(Clockwise, from top left) Théo Pourchaire, Oliver Bearman, Frederik Vesti, Jack Doohan, and Isack Hadjar drove during the first free practice session.

The drivers and teams were the same as the season entry list with the exception of Daniel Ricciardo, who replaced Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri starting at the Hungarian Grand Prix.[6][7] During the first practice session, five teams fielded alternate drivers who had not raced in more than two Grands Prix, as required by the Formula One regulations:

Bearman, Vesti and Hadjar made their Formula One practice debut.[8]

Tyre choices

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Tyre supplier Pirelli brought the C3, C4 and C5 tyre compounds (designated hard, medium, and soft, respectively), which are three softest compounds in their dry tyre range, for teams to use at the event. The previous iteration of the race had used compounds that were one step harder. Pirelli also provided two sets per driver of an experimental C4 compound that was trialed during the first two free practice sessions.[9][10]

Practice

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Three free practice sessions were held for the event.[1] The first free practice session was held on 27 October 2023, at 12:30 local time (UTC−6). Max Verstappen topped the session ahead of Alexander Albon and Sergio Pérez.[11] The second free practice session was held on 27 October 2023, at 17:00. Max Verstappen topped the session ahead of Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc.[12] The third free practice session was held on 28 October 2023, at 11:30. Max Verstappen topped the session ahead of Alexander Albon and Sergio Pérez.[13]

Qualifying

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Qualifying was held on 28 October 2023, at 15:00 local time (UTC−6).[1]

Qualifying report

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Charles Leclerc took pole position ahead of his teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. and Max Verstappen.[14] Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and teammate George Russell were all investigated for impeding, but no penalties were given to them.[15]

Fernando Alonso spun in Q1, bringing out a yellow flag in the first sector. Logan Sargeant could not set a lap time; he joined Lando Norris, Lance Stroll, Kevin Magnussen, and Esteban Ocon in exiting after the first part of the session. Pierre Gasly, Nico Hülkenberg, Alonso, Albon, and Yuki Tsunoda were knocked out of the second session. Alexander Albon had lap times deleted due to track limits, so Zhou Guanyu appeared in Q3.[14]

Daniel Ricciardo qualified in fourth place, the AlphaTauri team's highest qualification of the season. The Ferrari drivers took a front row lockout, with Leclerc claiming pole position.[14]

Qualifying classification

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Pos. No. Driver Constructor Qualifying times Final
grid
Q1 Q2 Q3
1 16   Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:18.401 1:17.901 1:17.166 1
2 55   Carlos Sainz Jr. Ferrari 1:18.755 1:18.382 1:17.233 2
3 1   Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT 1:18.099 1:17.625 1:17.263 3
4 3   Daniel Ricciardo AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT 1:18.341 1:17.706 1:17.382 4
5 11   Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT 1:18.553 1:18.124 1:17.423 5
6 44   Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:18.677 1:17.571 1:17.454 6
7 81   Oscar Piastri McLaren-Mercedes 1:18.241 1:17.874 1:17.623 7
8 63   George Russell Mercedes 1:18.893 1:17.673 1:17.674 8
9 77   Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo-Ferrari 1:18.429 1:18.016 1:18.032 9
10 24   Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo-Ferrari 1:19.016 1:18.440 1:18.050 10
11 10   Pierre Gasly Alpine-Renault 1:18.945 1:18.521 N/A 11
12 27   Nico Hülkenberg Haas-Ferrari 1:18.969 1:18.524 N/A 12
13 14   Fernando Alonso Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes 1:18.848 1:18.738 N/A 13
14 23   Alexander Albon Williams-Mercedes 1:18.828 1:19.147 N/A 14
15 22   Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT 1:18.890 No time N/A 181
16 31   Esteban Ocon Alpine-Renault 1:19.080 N/A N/A 15
17 20   Kevin Magnussen Haas-Ferrari 1:19.163 N/A N/A 16
18 18   Lance Stroll Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes 1:19.227 N/A N/A PL2
19 4   Lando Norris McLaren-Mercedes 1:21.554 N/A N/A 17
107% time: 1:23.565
2   Logan Sargeant Williams-Mercedes No time N/A N/A 193
Source:[16][17]

Notes

  • ^1Yuki Tsunoda was required to start the race from the back of the grid for exceeding his quota of power units elements and gearbox components.[17][18]
  • ^2Lance Stroll qualified 18th, but he was required to start the race from the pit lane as elements of different specifications from the ones originally used were installed on his car during parc fermé conditions.[17][19]
  • ^3Logan Sargeant failed to set a time during qualifying. He was permitted to race at the stewards' discretion. He also received a 10-place grid penalty for overtaking under yellow flag conditions in Q1. He gained a position following Lance Stroll's penalty.[17][20]

Race

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The race was held on 29 October 2023, at 14:00 local time (UTC−6), and was run for 71 laps.[1]

Race report

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Max Verstappen won the race, his record-setting sixteenth win in a season, ahead of Lewis Hamilton in second and polesitter Charles Leclerc in third. Five retirements occurred during the race. On the first turn of the first lap, Sergio Pérez turned into Leclerc, resulting in Pérez's retirement and damage to Leclerc's endplate. On lap 5 Leclerc's endplate came off at turn 1 which led to a short virtual safety car (VSC) period in order to allow for the marshals to remove the debris from the circuit safely. On lap 33, Kevin Magnussen had a left rear suspension failure, leading to a heavy crash at turn 9 which left his car a smoldering wreck and initially brought out the safety car. One lap later, the red flag was brought out to allow marshals to repair a section of the barrier. Fernando Alonso withdrew due to damage in lap 47, with his Aston Martin teammate Lance Stroll later also being forced to retire after a collision with Valtteri Bottas. Logan Sargeant had an issue with his fuel pump, forcing him to retire on the final lap.[21][22]

Starting seventeenth, Lando Norris gained twelve places to finish in fifth. Daniel Ricciardo finished in seventh, marking the AlphaTauri team's highest finish for the season.[23] This result moved AlphaTauri from last to eighth in the Constructors Championship: 4 points ahead of Haas and level with Alfa Romeo.[23]

After the lap-one crash between Pérez and Leclerc, a fan started an altercation between other fans. The instigator was ejected from the venue and given a lifetime ban.[24]

Race classification

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Pos. No. Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 1   Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT 71 2:02:30.814 3 25
2 44   Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 71 +13.875 6 191
3 16   Charles Leclerc Ferrari 71 +23.124 1 15
4 55   Carlos Sainz Jr. Ferrari 71 +27.154 2 12
5 4   Lando Norris McLaren-Mercedes 71 +33.266 17 10
6 63   George Russell Mercedes 71 +41.020 8 8
7 3   Daniel Ricciardo AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT 71 +41.570 4 6
8 81   Oscar Piastri McLaren-Mercedes 71 +43.104 7 4
9 23   Alexander Albon Williams-Mercedes 71 +48.573 14 2
10 31   Esteban Ocon Alpine-Renault 71 +1:02.879 15 1
11 10   Pierre Gasly Alpine-Renault 71 +1:06.208 11
12 22   Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT 71 +1:18.982 18
13 27   Nico Hülkenberg Haas-Ferrari 71 +1:20.309 12
14 24   Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo-Ferrari 71 +1:21.676 10
15 77   Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo-Ferrari 71 +1:25.5972 9
163 2   Logan Sargeant Williams-Mercedes 70 Fuel pump 19
173 18   Lance Stroll Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes 66 Collision damage PL
Ret 14   Fernando Alonso Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes 47 Collision damage 13
Ret 20   Kevin Magnussen Haas-Ferrari 31 Accident 16
Ret 11   Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT 1 Collision damage 5
Fastest lap:   Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) – 1:21.334 (lap 71)
Source:[17][25][26][21]

Notes

Championship standings after the race

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  • Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
  • Competitors in bold and marked with an asterisk are the 2023 World Champions.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Mexico City Grand Prix 2023 – F1 Race". Formula 1. Archived from the original on 23 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  2. ^ "Record Attendance at the 2023 Mexico City Grand Prix". f1destinations.com. 29 October 2023. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  3. ^ "F1 – 2023 Mexico City Grand Prix Preview". Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 25 October 2023. Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  4. ^ "Formula One statistics for the Mexican Grand Prix". Reuters. 25 October 2023. Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  5. ^ "USA 2023 – Championship". StatsF1.com. 22 October 2023. Archived from the original on 23 October 2023. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  6. ^ "2023 Mexico City Grand Prix – Entry List" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 27 October 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 October 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  7. ^ "Breaking: Ricciardo to replace De Vries at AlphaTauri from the Hungarian Grand Prix". Formula 1. 11 July 2023. Archived from the original on 13 July 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  8. ^ "The five rookie drivers set to take part in FP1 at the Mexico City GP". Formula 1. 27 October 2023. Archived from the original on 27 October 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  9. ^ Nichol, Jake (28 September 2023). "Pirelli to trial new compound in Mexico as tyre selections announced". RacingNews365. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  10. ^ "More strategies possible in Mexico thanks to the tyre choices". Pirelli. Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  11. ^ "Mexico City Grand Prix 2023 – F1 Free Practice 1 results". Racingnews365. 27 October 2023. Archived from the original on 27 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  12. ^ "Mexico City Grand Prix 2023 – F1 Free Practice 2 results". Racingnews365. Archived from the original on 27 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  13. ^ "Mexico City Grand Prix 2023 – F1 Free Practice 3 results". Racingnews365. 28 October 2023. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  14. ^ a b c "Leclerc takes sensational pole ahead of Sainz and Verstappen as Ferrari lock out front row in Mexico City". Formula 1. 29 October 2023. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  15. ^ Cleeren, Filip (29 October 2023). "Verstappen, Hamilton escape sanctions for Mexico F1 qualifying incidents". Autosport. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  16. ^ "Formula 1 Gran Premio de la Ciudad de México 2023 – Qualifying". Formula 1. 28 October 2023. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  17. ^ a b c d e "2023 Mexico City Grand Prix – Final Starting Grid" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 29 October 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  18. ^ "Infringement – Car 22 – PU Elements and RNC Changes" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 27 October 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 October 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  19. ^ "Infringement – Car 18 – Changes made during Parc Ferme" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 29 October 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  20. ^ "Infringement – Car 2 – Overtaking under Yellow Flags" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 28 October 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  21. ^ a b "Verstappen charges to record 16th win of the season after Perez's opening lap crash in Mexico". Formula 1. 29 October 2023. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  22. ^ "Alonso insists 2023 has still been 'incredible' for Aston". Formula 1. 30 October 2023. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  23. ^ a b Kelly, Sean (29 October 2023). "Best facts and stats after the Mexico City Grand Prix". www.formula1.com. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  24. ^ Mitchell, Rory; Gale, Ewan (29 October 2023). "F1 takes action after fan violence at Mexican Grand Prix". RacingNews365. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  25. ^ a b c "Formula 1 Gran Premio de la Ciudad de México 2023 – Race Result". Formula 1. 29 October 2023. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  26. ^ a b "Formula 1 Gran Premio de la Ciudad de México 2023 – Fastest Laps". Formula 1. 29 October 2023. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  27. ^ "Infringement – Car 77 – Causing a collision" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 29 October 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  28. ^ a b "Mexico City 2023 – Championship". StatsF1.com. 29 October 2023. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
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2024 Mexico City Grand Prix