F1: Mercedes F1 team Mexico City GP debrief

The Mercedes F1 team debriefs the Mexico City GP where once again Max Verstappen schooled Lewis Hamilton.

The race featured masterful tire management by Lewis Hamilton and a great team recovery.

Starting 3rd, Verstappen took the lead in turn 1 from both Ferraris ahead of him and drove a perfect race to school Lewis Hamilton once again by 13.875s.  The gap would have been a lot more had the race not been red-flagged at half distance for a big wreck by Nico Hulkenberg.

When the weekend started poorly the team managed to turn it around, secure a podium place and travel to Brazil with a strong haul of points in their battle for P2 in the Constructors’ Championship.

Before a packed house crowd of 152,668 ticket-paying fans. Verstappen tied Alain Prost’s 51 F1 wins to move into a tie for 4th place on the all-time list, and his 16th win of the year is a record, breaking the record of 15 he also held.

“A big thank you to this incredible crowd, I love coming to this city,” said Hamilton, who was happy to get 2nd place points and fastest lap point.

“This is a great result considering we started sixth, it’s been a difficult couple of weeks and to bounce back from last week – well done to the team. I thought [the medium tires] wouldn’t last!”

2023 Mexico City GP Results – 71 Laps