F1 in Mexico City: Yet another Ferrari fiasco, but that’s not all

But it didn’t keep him ahead of Verstappen, who stopped at the same time as Leclerc but emerged in the lead, a lead he would keep until the end.

These cars sure break down a lot

It wasn’t an easy drive to the checkered flag, however. We’re accustomed to Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin breaking down on track and triggering a safety car or a virtual safety car, and this race was no exception. It happened early, on lap 7, while the other Aston Martin, driven by Fernando Alonso, retired to its garage.

Cadillac has also had plenty of reliability problems this year, usually with its front brakes overheating. It was even more serious in Mexico: On lap 44, Bottas’ front left suspension failed as he approached turn 1. The heavy crash forced a red flag to repair the barrier, bringing the race to a halt and necessitating a second standing start.

Verstappen kept the lead, demonstrating the superior power output of the Red Bull power unit, even at altitude, over Ferrari’s. A furious Hamilton passed Leclerc, who compounded his original error by badly locking his front tires, wearing a flat spot down to the cord. The safety car came out again on lap 59, when Arvid Lindblad’s Racing Bull was taken out by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.

Up front, Hamilton followed Verstappen by a few tenths of a second but without ever having the speed to try an overtake. The Ferrari might not have had the legs to get past the Red Bull, but its tolerance for riding the curbs, plus the small turbo’s punch out of low-speed corners, was sufficient to give it the edge over 2025 champion Lando Norris’ McLaren, which finished in fifth behind Leclerc.

After the race, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur said, “I always expect everyone to show respect for the brand, the team, our partners and, above all, the 2,000 people working for us back home. They put an incredible amount of effort into what we do, working day and night at the factory to improve the car and bring upgrades to the track. That’s why missing out on a win in this way is difficult to accept.”