Carlos Sainz secured a much-needed win at the Mexican Grand Prix, taking first place from pole position. The Ferrari driver, set to be replaced by Lewis Hamilton next season, outpaced Lando Norris and teammate Charles Leclerc. Max Verstappen received a 20-second penalty, finishing sixth, allowing Ferrari to overtake Red Bull in the Formula One constructor standings. This victory marked Sainz's seventh podium finish this season and his second win.
"It's incredible to see this crowd, I've been feeling their support all week and I feel like I've got a lot of fan support here in Mexico and they've given me a lot of strength," he said. "Honestly, I really wanted this one, I needed it for myself, I wanted to get it done. I've been saying for a while I wanted one more win before leaving Ferrari and to do it here in front of this mega crowd is incredible. Now, four races left I want to enjoy as much as possible and if another one comes I will go for it."
Sainz initially lost the lead to Verstappen on the first lap. A safety car was deployed following a collision between Alex Albon and Yuki Tsunoda. After the restart, Sainz quickly reclaimed his position by overtaking Verstappen at Turn One. Meanwhile, Verstappen and Norris were engaged in their own battle behind him."I didn't prepare to be honest," Sainz remarked about overtaking Verstappen. "I was just a bit annoyed at the start having lost position to him and I said I need to surprise him one way or another, as he's super difficult to pass, he's proven it many times. I was a bit far back but I had nothing to lose. I'm just going to send one down the inside. I've been confident in the braking to Turn One this weekend and I knew I could make it."
