Carlos Sainz Jr. clinched the victory he craved in the final days of his Ferrari career, intensifying the Formula One title race.
Sainz triumphed at the Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday, while Lando Norris closed the gap on Max Verstappen after a fierce battle that resulted in three penalties for the reigning three-time champion, cutting Verstappen's lead in the standings by 10 points.
Not only did Sainz secure the win, but he also marked his first podium finish in Mexico City.
This victory is his fourth career win and second of the season, a notable achievement for the driver who will be replaced by Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari next year. Remarkably, Sainz had never before won two races in a single season.
"Honestly, I really wanted this one,” Sainz said, sounding emotional on his radio during the cool-down lap. "I really needed it for myself; I wanted to get it done. I've been saying for a while I wanted to get one more win before leaving Ferrari, and to do it here in front of this mega crowd is incredible.”
Verstappen started second and took the lead from pole-sitter Sainz at the start, but the first lap quickly drew a caution when contact between Yuki Tsunoda and Alex Albon caused Tsunoda to crash and Albon to retire with damage to his car.
The restart was tense, with the Ferraris racing against Verstappen and Norris for position. For a second consecutive week, the title contenders clashed.
Norris was penalized last week. This time it cost Verstappen two penalties totaling 20 seconds. After the race, the FIA also penalized Verstappen two points, bringing his total to six for the 12-month period.
"I knew what to expect. I don't want to expect such a thing, because I respect Max a lot as a driver, but I was waiting to expect something like this,” Norris said of Verstappen's driving. "Not very clean driving in my opinion, but I avoided it.”
Norris was penalized a week ago at the United States Grand Prix for forcing Verstappen off track, a punishment that allowed the three-time reigning world champion to take the final spot on the podium.
It also widened Verstappen's lead in the driver standings to 57 points before Sunday's race.
The tables turned at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez when Verstappen received a 10-second penalty for making contact with Norris and forcing him off the track.
"Ten? That’s aggressive,” Verstappen said.
He then received a second 10-second penalty for gaining position after leaving the track, resulting in a combined 20-second penalty to be served during his first pit stop.
"That’s fine then. That’s silly, man,” Verstappen radioed.
He pitted from third on Lap 27, and his mechanics could not begin his service until the 20-second penalty was served. He dropped to 15th when he rejoined the race.
Although Verstappen recovered to finish sixth, Norris spoiled what looked to be a Ferrari sweep by snatching second place from Charles Leclerc with eight laps remaining. The finishes resulted in a 10-point swing for Norris, who now trails Verstappen by 47 points with four races remaining.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner brought printed telemetry sheets to his post-race media session to argue against one of Verstappen's penalties. He contended that part of the punishments stemmed from last week's incidents involving Norris when many thought Verstappen also deserved a penalty, and that F1 is in danger of being over-policed.
"Obviously, there's been a reaction to last weekend, and I think it's very important for the drivers and stewards to sit down,” Horner said. "It used to be a reward for the bravest driver to go around the outside. I think we're in danger of flipping the overtaking laws upside down. We're overcomplicating things, and when you have to revert to an instruction manual for an overtake, it's something that just needs to be tidied up.”
Horner said Red Bull would not appeal the penalties the way McLaren did this week.
Leclerc, meanwhile, finished third and set the fastest lap of the race for Ferrari, which, like McLaren, is trying to dethrone Red Bull for the lucrative constructors' championship. Ferrari jumped ahead of Red Bull for second in the standings and trails McLaren by 27 points. Red Bull, which won the last two constructors' titles, is now third in the standings.
"Obviously, the constructors' championship is still our target, and we are getting closer to it,” Leclerc said. "I hope we can continue in that direction and get that constructors' title, which is very important.”
Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished fourth and fifth, respectively, while Verstappen was sixth. Kevin Magnussen finished seventh for Haas, followed by McLaren's Oscar Piastri, Nico Hulkenberg of Haas, and Pierre Gasly of Alpine.
Embattled driver Sergio Perez had a challenging day at his home race from the very start.
The Mexican, who was eliminated in the first round of qualifying and earned an 18th-place starting spot, gained five positions at the start but was immediately handed a five-second penalty for being outside his box at the start.
That penalty dropped him to 16th, and he ultimately finished 17th.
Perez also engaged in a wheel-to-wheel battle with Liam Lawson that became contentious on team radio as the two fought for position on the 19th lap.
"What the (expletive) is this idiot doing? Is he OK?” Perez asked on his radio as the drivers went wheel-to-wheel and made contact, causing Perez to be pushed wide off the track.
Lawson was just as irate and flashed his middle finger at Perez.
"Is he (expletive) serious?” Lawson asked on his radio.
"Loud and clear, we'll review it, head down," Lawson was told by his RB team, which is Red Bull's junior team.
Lawson reportedly apologized to Perez afterward, according to Horner, but Perez's job status is in danger. He is eighth in the driver standings and a significant reason why Red Bull has slipped in the constructors' championship.
When asked directly by The Associated Press if Perez, who signed an extension through 2025 this year, would finish the season, Horner refused to commit.
"There comes a point in time when difficult decisions have to be made,” Horner said. "We’re now third in the constructors' championship.”
Fernando Alonso's 400th career Formula One start was a short one; he drove his Aston Martin back to the garage on the 16th lap.
He finished 18th, and the team said the brakes on his Aston Martin were overheating.
Alonso began the race weekend ill and skipped Thursday events but returned by Friday's second practice. The two-time F1 champion already held the record for most starts in series history, setting the record when he passed Kimi Raikkonen, who retired with 353 starts.
The 43-year-old Alonso started the race ninth in the driver standings. He has 32 career victories and 106 podium finishes.
