Kimi Has Won, And Now The Dust Has Settled...
MEXICO CITY GP DESCENDS INTO PENALTY DRAMA AS FERRARI’S WIN SLIPS AWAY
A chaotic Mexico City Grand Prix has delivered a post-race shake-up, with Alpine losing its points, Oscar Piastri penalized following a collision with Arvid Lindblad, and Ferrari left questioning how it let a potential one-two finish disappear.
The Mexico City Grand Prix has continued to make headlines after the chequered flag, with several post-race stewarding decisions reshaping the final classification and adding another layer of drama to an already eventful weekend. Three major talking points emerged from the race: Oscar Piastri’s penalty following contact with Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad, Alpine’s double penalty for yellow flag infringements, and Ferrari’s frustration after losing a seemingly comfortable opportunity to claim victory.
PIASTRI PENALIZED AFTER LINDBLAD COLLISION
Oscar Piastri has been handed a 10-second penalty for causing a collision with Arvid Lindblad during their battle for seventh position. The incident ended Lindblad’s race and dropped Piastri down to 15th in the revised classification. Piastri explained that he had been forced wide during the battle and believed the two cars became interlocked before reaching the corner.
He admitted that overtaking was no longer possible at that point, but argued that Lindblad had pushed him so far off the circuit that contact became unavoidable.
The Australian initially considered the incident a racing incident, although he acknowledged the damage to his McLaren had made the remainder of the race difficult.
Former world champion Nico Rosberg supported the stewards’ decision, arguing Piastri should have abandoned the attempted move because he was never sufficiently alongside to claim the outside line.
Lindblad, speaking before the official verdict, said he had been committed to defending his position after spending more than 10 laps holding Piastri behind him. Despite his retirement, the young Racing Bulls driver was encouraged by his race pace, particularly after a difficult run of recent events that included crashes in Madrid and Baku.
Piastri’s difficult weekend had started in qualifying, where he could manage only 12th on the grid before fighting his way into the points. McLaren teammate Lando Norris finished fifth but admitted he had few opportunities to challenge Charles Leclerc, relying on the Ferrari driver making a mistake to create an opening.
ALPINE PENALTIES HAND HIRAKAWA A DEBUT POINT
Alpine’s Mexico City Grand Prix went from a potentially productive points finish to a complete disappointment after both drivers were penalized for yellow flag infringements.
Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly initially crossed the line eighth and 10th respectively, with Piastri’s penalty subsequently promoting them to seventh and ninth.
However, the stewards later handed Colapinto a 10-second penalty for failing to sufficiently slow under a single yellow flag, while Gasly received a 30-second time addition after his stop-and-go penalty for an infringement under double yellows.
The decisions stripped Alpine of all its points from the race. Both drivers apologized to the team, accepting responsibility for their respective infringements. The revised results promoted Liam Lawson to seventh, Gabriel Bortoleto to eighth, and Isack Hadjar to ninth.
Perhaps the biggest beneficiary was Haas debutant Ryo Hirakawa, who secured 10th place and his first Formula 1 championship point. The Japanese driver had been unexpectedly drafted into the car after Esteban Ocon was withdrawn ahead of Saturday's final practice session. Having completed just one practice session and qualifying before making his Grand Prix debut, Hirakawa became the oldest driver to make an F1 debut since 2014.
The result also strengthened Racing Bulls’ position in the constructors’ championship. Lawson’s six points extended the team's advantage over Alpine in the battle for fifth place to 39 points, with four rounds remaining. Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane praised Lawson’s performance, particularly after the team elected to change his engine following a qualifying setback, resulting in a pitlane start.
FERRARI LEFT TO REFLECT ON COSTLY MEXICO CITY MISTAKE
While the post-race penalties dominated the revised classification, Ferrari was left dealing with a different kind of disappointment after throwing away a potential one-two finish.
Lewis Hamilton started from pole position and initially led teammate Charles Leclerc, with Ferrari looking capable of controlling the race. However, the two drivers went wheel-to-wheel during the opening stages, with both running wide at Turn 4 before Leclerc cut Turn 5 to retain his position.
Max Verstappen capitalized on the incident to move ahead of Hamilton, while Leclerc was subsequently handed a five-second penalty for gaining an advantage off the circuit.
The penalty ultimately proved costly. Leclerc lost the lead to Verstappen during the pit-stop sequence and eventually finished fourth.
Hamilton recovered to finish second, just 0.7 seconds behind Verstappen, but was left frustrated by what he believed was a race Ferrari could have won. Team principal Fred Vasseur described the lost opportunity as difficult to digest, highlighting the work of the thousands of people behind the scenes at Maranello. Vasseur believed Ferrari had victory within reach, particularly after recent upgrades appeared to have improved the team's competitiveness.
Hamilton was equally disappointed, suggesting the race had been lost during the opening two corners. The seven-time world champion also revealed there had been no pre-race discussion about managing the opening-lap battle between the two Ferraris. He called for a serious internal conversation, warning that similar incidents could happen again unless the team addressed the situation.
Leclerc, meanwhile, defended his approach, insisting he would always fight for a race victory when an opportunity presented itself. The Monegasque explained that both drivers had braked as late as possible and that he had initially considered giving the position back before Verstappen moved ahead of Hamilton.
The stewards acknowledged mitigating circumstances when reducing Leclerc’s penalty from the usual 10 seconds to five, but still determined he had gained an advantage by completing the move off track. Despite the disappointment, Ferrari remains mathematically in contention for the constructors’ championship, although it still trails Mercedes by 126 points with four rounds remaining.
FOUR ROUNDS TO GO — AND PLENTY STILL AT STAKE
The Mexico City Grand Prix has delivered significant consequences across the grid, from Alpine's costly loss of points to Racing Bulls strengthening its position in the constructors’ standings. For McLaren, Piastri's penalty represents another difficult result in a weekend where the Australian struggled to find his usual form.
Ferrari, meanwhile, will be left wondering what might have been after a genuine opportunity to secure a race victory slipped away through an opening-lap battle between its own drivers. And for Hirakawa, the revised classification has delivered a memorable milestone: a championship point on his Formula 1 debut. With four rounds remaining, the championship battles are entering their decisive stages — and Mexico City has shown just how quickly the results can change.
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