Carlos Sainz was thrilled following a flawless Mexico City Grand Prix, where he skillfully converted pole position into victory, avoiding the drama to dominate the race. Despite an early setback, where Max Verstappen briefly claimed the lead, Sainz executed a decisive overtake into the first corner after the Safety Car period, regaining P1 with a bold, late-braking maneuver.
From there, Sainz steadily extended his lead as Verstappen and Lando Norris engaged in their own intense battle. As Sainz stayed focused at the front, his engineer Riccardo Adami praised the drive as a “masterclass” – marking Sainz’s fourth F1 career win.
Sainz was visibly moved post-race, saying, “Gracias Mexico! I’ve felt the crowd’s energy all week. I really wanted this one, especially before leaving Ferrari, and to do it here is incredible.” He expressed his eagerness for the final four races with Ferrari, aiming to “enjoy as much as possible” and possibly seize another victory before his switch to Williams.
On his winning move against Verstappen, Sainz explained, “I didn’t plan it. Losing the lead at the start was frustrating, so I decided to take a chance – I had nothing to lose. Max is hard to overtake, so I just sent one down the inside.”
Meanwhile, teammate Charles Leclerc, who had a more challenging weekend, acknowledged Sainz’s pace and strong performance. Leclerc, who lost second place to Norris in the final laps, noted, “The whole weekend, I was a bit on the back foot, so third was the best we could do. Carlos drove an amazing race.”
Ferrari’s successful weekend also saw them leapfrog Red Bull to claim second in the constructors’ standings, closing in on leaders McLaren, with only 29 points between them. Leclerc expressed optimism about Ferrari’s progress, emphasizing, “We’re working incredibly well as a team, and weekends like this show that we’re getting closer to our goal. The constructors’ title is still within reach, and we’ll keep pushing.”
This strong performance brings Ferrari closer to ending their title drought, giving fans and the team fresh hope as the season approaches its climax.