The 20th round of the 2022 F1 season saw the championship touchdown in Mexico City. Our resident F1 writer Nick van der Meulen outlines the race in his report titled F1 Review Mexico 2022.

Mexico has been on the F1 scene since the 1960s, hosting its first event at Mexico City in 1962. Regular Grands Prix were held throughout the decade until its cancellation after the 1970 event, on safety grounds. Officials struggled to control 200 000 fans who had flocked to see their hero, Pedro Rodriguez in action. The race returned to the F1 calendar in 1986, which saw Gerhard Berger and Benetton take their first victory.

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The circuit became notorious for its bumpiness and the F1 circus left Mexico City again after the 1992 season. F1 was wooed back to Mexico City in 2015, the city producing a state-of-the-art facility. Nowadays, 200 000 fans flock to cheer on their new hero, Sergio Perez.

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Dominant Form

While the fans were there to cheer Perez, it was his Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen who dominated the weekend. The Dutchman took pole position and romped to victory, his fourth at Mexico and his 14th of the season. Perez still had a good day at home, however, finishing third and reclaiming second on the world championship log.

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Resurgent

Mercedes had another good weekend, following their strong showing in Texas. Lewis Hamilton made short work of teammate George Russell at the start and set off after Verstappen. Russell lost out to Perez soon afterwards and the status quo was maintained for the rest of the afternoon. Despite varying tyre strategies, there was no real effect on the leaderboard.

Slow Decline

Ferrari was off the pace for the whole weekend, with Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc circulating and finishing in fifth and sixth places, respectively. Sainz will be relieved to have finished a race for the first time in a while…

Return to Form

Daniel Ricciardo showed that there is still fire in his belly, using an alternate tyre strategy to his advantage. The “Honey Badger” ran a longer first stint and switched to soft rubber for the final surge of the race. He used the strategy to great effect, carving his way into seventh place at the fall of the chequered flag. This, despite being penalised 10 seconds for running Yuki Tsunoda’s Alpha Tauri into retirement. He also carved his way into fans’ hearts, as they voted the Australian “Driver of the Day”. Teammate Lando Norris also had a solid day, claiming two points for ninth position.

Not Much To Play For

Verstappen (416 points) has an unassailable lead in the 2022 F1 world championship. Perez (281 points) and Leclerc (275 points) vie for runner-up in the standings. Russell (231 points) now has a narrow lead over teammate Hamilton (216 points).

Red Bull Racing (696 points) has won the constructors’ championship. Ferrari’s (487 points) points lead over Mercedes (447 points) continues to be reduced. Alpine (153 points) and McLaren (146 points) continue to duke it out for fourth in the standings.

The F1 circus moves to Sao Paulo, Brazil for the 21st round of the world championship on 11 to 13 November 2022. Brazilian fans are extremely passionate and Hamilton will love nothing more than to win in front of his hero’s people.