21
21:32
When are the next drivers coming?
Lance Stroll is still the only stopper in the race. Everyone else is currently trying to extend the first stint as long as possible. Verstappen leads Hamilton by two seconds. They are followed by Pérez, Russell, Sainz and Leclerc. Vettel is 14th, Schumacher is 17th.
19
21:30
Pit radio Charles Leclerc
Charles Leclerc discusses Plan C with his team. “We have to be careful with traffic,” replies his garage. He’s still in sixth place. 21.8 seconds separate him from Verstappen.
18
21:28
Pit stop by Lance Stroll
Lance Stroll is the first driver to make his pit stop. He changes from the medium to the soft tire. He comes out in last place.
18
21:27
Penalty for Pierre Gasly
This decision was to be expected. Race control punishes Pierre Gasly for pushing Lance Stroll off the track in a duel. He gets a 5 second penalty.
16
21:26
Pit radio Max Verstappen
“I have trouble with the bouncing, it’s impossible to drive on the curbs,” Verstappen reports to his team over the radio. Most recently, however, he was able to pull away from Hamilton.
16
21:25
Investigation against Pierre Gasly
The overtaking maneuver against Lance Stroll could still cause trouble for Pierre Gasly. It is being investigated whether he pushed Stroll off the track in a duel.
15
21:22
Stroll in distress
Lance Stroll is in trouble. First he is overtaken by Pierre Gasly after a long fight, now Alex Albon is lurking behind him.
13.
21:20
Pit radio Lance Stroll
“I slide everywhere,” Lance Stroll radioed grumpily to his team. “I don’t have a damn grip!”
12.
21:19
No race for Haas
Even with Haas, the race doesn’t really go as planned in the first laps. Both Mick Schumacher and Kevin Magnussen have been passed and are currently grappling with the Williams.
10
21:17
Ferrari knocked off
Sainz and Leclerc can probably only compete for the podium today if their competitors have a bad day. Sainz has already lost 4.8 seconds towards Russell. Eleven seconds are missing from Verstappen. Another 2.7 seconds behind is Leclerc.
9.
21:16
Daniel Ricciardo overtaking
Daniel Ricciardo has been looking for a way past Zhou for a long time, now he manages to overtake the Alfa Romeo. It was about twelfth place. All in all, it’s been a race with few overtaking maneuvers so far. Most positions were made up at the start.
8th.
21:14
Pit radio Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen is anything but happy with his tires and grip over the radio. Nevertheless, he has recently been able to slightly increase the gap to Hamilton.
6.
21:11
Bottas is lurking for Alonso
Valtteri Bottas lost a few places at the start and now has to fight his way back. He has now caught up with Alonso and is within the DRS window to the Spaniard, who is seventh.
5.
21:10
Hamilton is getting closer again
After Verstappen was able to drive away in the first laps, Lewis Hamilton has now been able to reduce the gap to the competitor again. Only 1.2 seconds separate him from the leader.
4.
21:08
DRS train behind Zhou
A small DRS train has formed behind Guanyu Zhou. In the middle there are also Vettel in 14th place and Schumacher in 17th place.
3.
21:06
DRS released
The DRS has now been approved by the race management. But nobody in the leading group will be able to use it. Only Valtteri Bottas in eighth place is within a second of the man in front.
2.
21:06
Verstappen outside the DRS window
Max Verstappen does not hesitate at the top and has already driven out of the DRS second to Hamilton. The first gaps are also opening up behind them.
1.
21:04
McLaren come off badly
Things did not go well for the two McLarens. Lando Norris slips to tenth while Daniel Ricciardo is 13th. Sebastian Vettel moved up to 14th place. Lance Stroll was able to make up five places in the starting phase.
1.
21:04
Start race
The lights are off, the race in Mexico has started! Max Verstappen gets off well and can hold his position in front of the two Mercedes. Behind him, Hamilton pushes past his teammate and is now second. Sergio Pérez also passes Russell to the delight of the fans.
21:02
It will start soon
The first cars return to the grid. Now it won’t be long until the start of the race.
21:00
Formation lap in progress
The cars start moving and Max Verstappen leads the field one last time around the track. The sticking point for him right after the start is the way to the first corner, where Mercedes could benefit from the slipstream. The field is well mixed on the starting tire. Verstappen, Pérez, Sainz, Leclerc, Tsunoda, Gasly, Schumacher, Vettel and Latifi start on the soft. The rest of the field is on the media.
20:54
The weather
The temperature in Mexico City is 24 degrees. The track temperature is 43 degrees shortly before the start of the race. The chance of rain for the race is 40 percent.
20:47
The distance
The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is more than 2,200 meters above sea level. The mountain air is a challenge for the technology: The brakes are at their limit because they cannot be cooled sufficiently and the motors are also reaching their limits. The 4.304 kilometer circuit is one of the fastest racetracks on the calendar. A total of 71 laps are driven.
20:38
Vettel also knocked off
Even with Sebastian Vettel there was not much in it. While the Aston Martin was still running well in the USA a week ago, both pilots struggled with the balance in Mexico. So Vettel starts the race from 16th place. Lance Stroll is last on the grid after a three-place penalty for an accident in the USA race.
20:34
Schumacher from 15th place
In Mexico, Mick Schumacher is again concerned with recommending himself to Haas for another year. But the German shouldn’t be happy with his qualifying. Schumacher’s best lap time in Q1 was deleted, which meant that he was already eliminated in the first section in 16th place. Only because his teammate Magnussen was penalized by five places did he move up one place.
20:30
Ferrari knocked off
One might have hoped for more from Ferrari, who only seem to be the third force. Carlos Sainz starts the race from fifth place, while Charles Leclerc starts in seventh place. In between there is a well-behaved Valtteri Bottas in the Alfa Romeo. Behind them, McLaren and Alpine go into the next round in the fight for fourth place in the team classification. Lando Norris is eighth ahead of Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon. Daniel Ricciardo starts the Grand Prix from eleventh place.
20:23
Verstappen secures pole
Max Verstappen was the strongest driver on the track in yesterday’s qualifying. The two-time world champion set a time of 1:17.775 minutes and celebrated the 19th pole of his career. Mercedes is also making a strong showing in Mexico. George Russell will start next to Verstappen from the front row. Lewis Hamilton is third on the grid and forms the second row of the grid together with Sergio Pérez.
Warm welcome!
The 2022 Formula 1 season is entering the home stretch and the Mexican Grand Prix in Mexico City is the 20th of a total of 22 races. It starts on Sunday at 9:00 p.m.!