Scuderia Ferrari mechanic during the Formula 1 Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024, 20th round of the 2024 Formula One World Championship from October 25 to 27, 2024 on the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, in Mexico City, Mexico - Photo Eric Alonso / DPPI
Scuderia Ferrari mechanic during the Formula 1 Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024, 20th round of the 2024 Formula One World Championship from October 25 to 27, 2024 on the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, in Mexico City, Mexico - Photo Eric Alonso / DPPI
As the checkered flag waved at the conclusion of the thrilling 2024 Mexican Grand Prix, the drivers had plenty to say about their performances, rivalries, and the intense battles that unfolded on the track. From race winner Carlos Sainz’s triumphant reflections to second-placed Lando Norris’s thoughts on his fierce duel with Max Verstappen, and third-placed Charles Leclerc’s insights on his race strategy, the drivers’ quotes paint a vivid picture of the excitement and drama that characterized this unforgettable race weekend…
Yuki Tsunoda, DNF – “There just wasn’t enough space. It was a racing incident. It was very tricky. If I had qualified where our true pace was, we wouldn’t have been in that position. I’m very sorry to the Team. They did a fantastic job to prepare everything from yesterday. I want to make it up to them in Brazil.”Sergio Perez, P17 – “It was a very difficult one today, we were recovering well in the race, we had a really good start and although we unfortunately got the time penalty, I think we were making progress and were going to score good points. Then I had the incident with Liam, he was the first hard tyre and we were a lot faster, we targeted the inside, we had the corner and I wasn’t expecting him to be there, I had the position going into turn five, he was off the track, came back on and I wasn’t expecting him to carry on straight. He took the whole side of the car off, he damaged my whole sidepod and my floor. I don’t really get it, it was totally avoidable, he just went for the incident and it ruined both our races. I am very frustrated at how this weekend went, and I am very sorry for my Team and my people, it was simply the worse GP I have had at home.” Max Verstappen, P6 – “It was a tough weekend. The start was good but after that we had no pace, we struggled on both compounds for the rest of the race. Because of the penalties we had a long pitstop, and it was a recovery drive to score as many points as possible after that. It is what it is. We need to understand what went wrong this weekend but there was not much else we could have done today. There’s a lot of things that we want to do better, and we will need to work hard to come back stronger in Brazil.” Lewis Hamilton, P4 – “We ultimately moved forward and brought home good points today for the team. We weren’t looking so racy in the first stint; I didn’t have enough front-wing in the car and was suffering with lots of understeer. We were able to improve the balance at our second stop and our pace got better. Even if we had enjoyed that speed in the first stint though, we still wouldn’t have had the pace to challenge those ahead for the podium. P4 and P5 is still slightly better than we predicted today though so we can be pleased with our afternoon.”Charles Leclerc, P3 – It was a difficult race and I think P3 was the best we could do, having spent the weekend a bit on the back foot. The first stint was all about managing the tyre temperatures which was not easy. After that I just had to bring it home and maximise the points we scored as a team. It was a good race for Carlos and a nice points haul for the team, which has been working really well, coming back to the level we want to be at, which is amazing to see.Our target is still to fight for the Constructors’ title and we are getting closer thanks to weekends like the last two. Now on to the final race of this triple header where we will push to keep up this momentum.”Lando Norris, P2 – “It’s clear that it doesn’t matter if he wins or second, his only job is to beat me in the race. And he’ll sacrifice himself to do that, like he did today. But I want to have good battles with him. I want to have those tough battles, like I’ve seen him have plenty of times. But fair ones. It’s always going to be on the line. It’s always going to be tough with Max. He’s never going to make anyone’s life easy, especially mine at this point of the year. But I think today was just… It was not fair, clean racing. And therefore, I think he got what he had coming to him.”Carlos Sainz, P1 – “I’m incredibly happy! I’ve been chasing another win since Australia and getting it here in Mexico makes it even more special, as it almost feels like a second home to me with the incredible support of the Mexican fans! My family is also here this weekend so I can’t ask for more.We knew losing a position at the start could happen but regaining it quickly by diving down the inside into turn 1 was the key to the race. From there it was all about managing tyres and pace, a very smooth operation until the chequered flag!This second win in a row is a further testament to the work the team has done in recent months, we are getting closer in the Constructors’ Championship and we’ll fight until the end as a team. Congrats to everyone! On to Brazil!”
