You can always count on Mexico City to deliver an exciting grand prix, and that’s exactly what we saw on Sunday. Carlos Sainz dominated to take his second win of the season and Ferrari’s second win in a row. But it wasn’t thrills for everyone as Red Bull struggled at a track they usually control – here are Dan Stephen’s winners and losers from the Mexico City GP.

Winner – Carlos Sainz

A brilliant win saw the Spaniard cross the line 4.7 seconds ahead of the hard-charging McLaren of Lando Norris. But it wasn’t just the grand prix where Sainz dominated, he had looked strong since the weekend kicked off, finishing within the top 3 in all practice sessions and claiming Pole with a bold lap on Saturday.

Although he lost the lead to Max Verstappen at the start of the grand prix on the 890m long run down to turn one, Sainz reclaimed it on lap nine with a bold late-braking move and stretched his legs from there to the chequered flag.

Carlos’ win in Mexico along with his win in Australia earlier this year means it is the first time he has won more than once in a season – yet another reason why he belongs on the winner list.

Loser – Sergio Perez

It’s no secret that Sergio Perez is under intense pressure to improve his performances in order to retain his Red Bull seat for the 2025 season. But could yet another tough weekend at his home race be the final straw for Red Bull’s management?

A poor qualifying session saw Perez line up in P18 on the grid where a severe misjudgement of the location of his grid box saw him receive a five-second penalty for a false start.

His time on track didn’t yield results either. In a scrappy and seemingly desperate battle with sister-team VCARB driver Liam Lawson, Perez sustained a sidepod puncture that significantly hampered his pace for the remainder of the grand prix. Perez finished P17 ahead of three retired cars – not a home race to remember.

Winner – Lando Norris

Although Lando was held up by Max Verstappen for the majority of the first half of the race, once Max peeled into the pits to serve his two 10 second penalties Lando was able to chase down the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc in P2.

Leclerc’s jaw-dropping oversteer moment in the last corner on lap 63 allowed Lando to slip past, securing the second spot on the podium and with that taking 10 points out of Verstappen’s championship lead.

Additionally, Verstappen’s two 10 second penalties offer a small victory for Norris, who has been advocating for reform in the sport’s racing guidelines. After receiving a five-second penalty in Austin following an incident with Verstappen – a penalty he felt was unfair given the circumstances – Norris will be relieved to see his championship rival’s “dangerous” racing style, in his words, come under closer scrutiny by the stewards in Mexico.

Loser – Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso became the first Formula 1 driver to ever reach 400 grand prix involvements, but after just 16 laps he was forced to retire with a brake cooling issue.

Alonso was optimistic heading into the weekend, saying, “I hope to enjoy the weekend, every second of it.” To mark the occasion, Fernando also wore a special helmet adorned with memorable moments from his career.

While it was only his first DNF of the season, it’s the third time in a row that he’s retired in Mexico City and also means he’s retired from every race marking another century of grand prix involvements for him.

Winner(s) – Kevin Magnussen & Nico Hulkenberg

Both Haas drivers had a phenomenal weekend in Mexico City, finishing in P7 and P9 respectively – a double points finish for the American team that has helped them to secure their grip on P6 in the Constructors’ Championship.

Kevin Magnussen’s P7 finish saw him bring home 6 points – his biggest points haul since Bahrain 2022 where he finished P5, and Nico Hulkenberg claimed an additional two points for his P9 finish, helping to put Haas 10 points ahead of VCARB in the Constructors’ standings.

The team will be hoping continue this positive momentum into the final remaining races of the season to maintain their position in the standings and secure their highest finish in the standings since 2018.

Loser(s) – Yuki Tsunoda & Alex Albon

A dramatic start to the grand prix saw Yuki Tsunoda spin off into the barriers at the first corner following contact with Alex Albon, who was also forced to retire following the incident.

Tsunoda’s rear-right tyre collided with Albon’s front-left in the braking zone for turn one, sending Tsunoda into a spin and damaging Albon’s suspension. Race control reviewed the incident and concluded that no further investigation was necessary, but this won’t have taken away from the frustration of the incident for both drivers and teams who are engaged in tough mid-field battles.

Both drivers now look ahead to the upcoming grand prix in Brazil, eager for a chance to make up for missed opportunities in Mexico.