🏁🏁SPOILERS: Verstappen Gets Dirty

Good morning. Although the constructor and driver championships are heating up, the real stories are developing farther down the grid. Teams like Williams and Haas are finding a new form that we haven’t seen in a while. Audi is gearing up for a facelift to the Sauber team. VCARB is finally finding pace with a new competition between Tsunoda and Lawson. All of these things bode well for fans of Formula 1 racing in the future.

It is fun to watch epic battles at the top, but when there are multiple storylines up and down the paddock, fans can enjoy watching from race to race.

So, I focused on those storylines this week.

Finally, I am headed to the UK on November 10th for my first tests in the Praga before my 2025 race season. I will be documenting the whole process and filling you guys in on the progress 🙂 

-Jake Williamson

📊 Standings

🏎 GP Debrief

Quick Breakdown

This was a banger of a race. As this era of engines and aerodynamic regulations has seasoned a bit, the teams are getting closer to each other in performance.

Although Sainz converted his pole into a win, battles and dramas developed up and down the grid, making this GP a thrill to watch.

Turn 4 was a bit of a menace throughout the race's first stint and was home to some hard racing that may force the FIA to look at the regulations sooner than they would like. After the battle between Norris and Verstappen in Austin, it seems like drivers are helping themselves to the apex without any care in the world for what happens at corner exit. This was deemed “ok” just one race prior so we saw more of this tactic this time around.

Winners

Obviously the big win is Carlos Sainz holding onto his pole position and converting it to a win. Norris didn’t make it easy toward the end, but the battle between McLaren and Red Bull seems to have clinched the win for Ferrari.

Norris gets vindicated after Verstappen receives 20 seconds of penalties after their clash at turns 4 and 7.

Leclerc finds his way through due to the controversial battle between Verstappen and Norris in the 10th lap.

Losers

Verstappen forces Norris off in turn 4 and then forces him off again in turn 7 of the 10th lap. The Dutchman got a 10-second penalty for his nasty moves on Norris.

Fernando Alonso retires for suspected brake cooling issues

Albon out after an unfortunate sandwich between Tsunoda and Gasly

Surprises

The biggest surprise was Tsunoda’s ballsy move to the outside before turn 1 which cost him his race.

My Predictions

As you can see below, I only got one prediction correct. I think Norris could have won this GP without the scuffle with Max and Piastri should have done better in qualfi, but this is life and life isn’t fair.

P1 - Norris ⛔

P2 - Sainz⛔

P3 - Russell⛔

P4 - Piastri⛔

P5 - Max Verstappen (may have engine issues)⛔

Safety Car ✅

Lawson and Tsunoda score double points ⛔

🌎 Colapinto For Rent

It’s pretty clear that Colapinto was a bold, but correct selection from Williams after ending their relationships with Logan Sargeant. What’s more, the Argentine driver seems to be right at home in the F1 car and has quickly proven that he belongs in the pinnacle of motorsport permanently.

This may be difficult, however.

Technically only Sauber has an available seat as the German team deliberates between re-signing Bottas or promoting Gabriel Bortoleto to an F1 seat away from McLaren. Apparently Mattia Binotto (Audi big boss) is considering the experience of Bottas versus the fresh face of Bortoleto. The latest news is Bottas is in talks with the team to re-sign so that may be a door closed for Colapinto.

So, the only other option seems to be a newly opened door at VCARB. It has been rumored for the past few weeks that Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson are in a shootout for the seat that Checo will supposedly relinquish at the end of the 2024 season. This would leave a seat open at VCARB for Franco to jump in.

This is a lot of “ifs” from the Red Bull garages though. Checo would have to leave Red Bull or be forced out. This is looking more likely by the day as his performance falls off a cliff. Furthermore, RB would have to promote from their “junior team” to fill his seat. This is the most likely scenario, but never discount an outside hire to replace the Mexican driver.

However, even if a seat becomes available at VCARB, it seems Colapinto’s contract may pose an issue. Franco has a long term contract with Williams and James Vowles (Williams team boss) will want to keep it that way. So, Colapinto would have to be “loaned” to VCARB if they want him. This essentially means VCARB pays Williams to use their driver for a couple years. A move that Helmut Marko says isn’t, “interesting for any team. You don’t want to train a driver for another team.”

There is a plan B for Williams though. Vowles has made it clear that he will get Colapinto a permanent seat in F1. So, if they can’t find him one for 2025, Williams will retain Colapinto as a reserve driver and make sure he is part of all testing and sim sessions. By testing in the sim, developing setups, and participating in the Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) program, the Argentine will get thousands of KM in the F1 car as he prepares for 2026 and beyond.

🌎 Why the Norris/Verstappen Incident Was Different

Lando Norris and Max Verstappen went at it again in Mexico, but this time, Verstappen threw elbows and forced a clear-cut case for a penalty.

The incident involved Norris overtaking Verstappen on the outside of turn 4. Overtaking on the outside is risky unless you can put your car completely alongside the defending driver. In this case, Norris got fully along Verstappen at the apex. When the attacker is fully alongside the defending car, the defender must leave at least a car width of space at corner exit. Max decided he didn’t need to do this and forced Norris off the track.

The drama continued into turn 7 where Verstappen braked late and lunged at the corner apex from behind Norris to try and gain the position that Norris took a few turns earlier. By lunging at the apex, Max was able to get ahead of Norris, but there was no way in hell that he would make a clean corner exit. Verstappen ended up going wide exiting turn 7, bumped Norris, and sent them both way off track.

Verstappen received a 10-second penalty for chaos at turn 4 and an identical penalty for gaining position from off track at turn 7.

So how is this different from Austin?

Turn 4 - Norris held his car completely alongside Max’s for 80% of the corner before Verstappen closed the door. In Austin, Norris was ahead as the attacker until Verstappen released brakes to lunge at the apex, which isn’t against the rules for the defender.

Turn 7—This was a clear case of the attacking car (Verstappen) sending it to the inside with no regard for the corner exit. This resulted in Verstappen gaining a position, which wasn’t the case in Austin. In the US, Max was simply defending from off-track, which isn’t necessarily against the rules.

Implications

Apparently, the driver’s briefing before Mexico was “quite long,” which hints at the FIA looking into these apex lunge moves before trying to retool the rulebook. Most drivers seem to be upset with the interpretation of the rules that allow attackers to hurry to the apex for track advantage, so we may see an update as early as Qatar.

🚀Headline Sprint

⛔McLaren’s right of review rejected: Before the Mexico GP, McLaren, Red Bull, the FIA, and the stewards from Austin met to discuss the right of review submitted by McLaren in response to the call to penalize Norris at the Austin GP. McLaren argued that the stewards made an error in the penalty document. The document made reference to Car 4 overtaking Car 1 and was not alongside at the apex of turn 12. McLaren argued that Norris had already made the overtake by the start of braking into the turn, which would have swapped the roles of the two drivers. In order for a right of review to stick, the team (McLaren) must bring new and significant evidence. Their evidence was the fact that the stewards made an erroneous statement in their decision document. This was swiftly struck down by the FIA.

💥Albon and Bearman come together: Williams had a rough weekend that started with a collision between Alex Albon and Ollie Bearman in the first practice session in Mexico City. Alex Albon was on a flying lap and caught a bit of a slide through turn 9. As Albon was correcting his slide, he went wide and collected Ollie Bearman in a collision. The stewards deemed this as a no-fault situation and Albon admitted he caught bearman, “at exactly the wrong moment”.

🚂Verstappen to take an engine in Brazil: Red Bull has reached its power unit component limit for Max Verstappen, which leaves them in a bind for the next 4 races. It isn’t unusual for teams to swap in new parts. In fact, this is why there is a limited allowance for replacements in the first place. But, when a team reaches that limit, if they take more chances, the drivers in question receive big grid penalties like Liam Lawson received in Austin. With 4 races left, the open question is if Red Bull will take a fresh engine to finish the season strong. This seems likely since they are now operating fairly old power units. So, the most likely place for this to happen is in Brazil next week. This would mean Max must fight his way to the front from the very back.

🛞 Antonelli Under Pressure

Kimi Antonelli didn’t seem to be in his usual form during FP1 in Mexico. The young replacement for Lewis Hamilton went out for the first practice session in Mexico a bit later than his teammate George Russell alongside many other rookie drivers.

One worried guy on the internet found it concerning that Antonelli finished the season 1.2 seconds behind Russell in the same machinery. This comes as a surprise considering the blistering pace he was setting back in Monza. However, it should be remembered that the Italian youngster crashed the W15, which he managed to avoid this time around. Furthermore, Kimi was the fastest of the rookie drivers in the practice session.

Although it may be concerning that Antonelli fell so far behind Russell’s pace, fans should be encouraged by the outing. The pressure is surely mounting for the Italian driver. He is “replacing” a seven-time world champion, driving alongside a very fast driver, and doing it in machinery that should be winning championships.

Don’t expect blistering performances right away, but Antonelli is sure to compete for wins soon!

🏎 Yuki’s Red Bull Test Among Seat Drama

You would be forgiven for thinking you missed some announcement regarding Yuki Tsunoda or Liam Lawson getting promoted to Red Bull to replace Checo. There has been no such announcement, but the rumors of Checo being replaced for 2025 are so often discussed that one may think the decision has been made. In fact, even the announcers of the races are waxing poetic about how Lawson and Tsunoda are fighting each other for the “open” seat at Red Bull next year.

Although no decision has been made (or at least announced), the two VCARB drivers do seem to know something that our fans don’t. The two drivers have been driving like pros lately. You may have noticed Yuki’s incredible performance in Austin along with Lawsons’s climb from P19 to P9 in the same race. Performances worthy of “pro” team consideration.

So, do the drivers know they are competing for a Red Bull seat?

They may have heard Helmut Marko's comments, “We have decided to compare Lawson and Tsunoda. They have the same material and the same conditions, and each now has six (now five) races to prove that he is the better driver.”

This is apparently to help decide their [Red Bull] driver pairings for 2025.

Let’s assume that Checo gets the boot from the team. Who does Red Bull choose? Lawson has a lot to prove and is fighting an uphill battle against Tsunoda, who has the support of Honda. The Japanese car maker has thrown their support in for Yuki by politely requesting an end-of-year test for the driver in the RB20, a request that was granted by Christian Horner only two days ago.

All this is great, but the big elephant in the room is Yuki’s track record for collisions. A record he added to yesterday in Mexico after trying a bold move on the outside of turn 1. He ended up with a DNF, which is something he is far too familiar with this year.

So, will Red Bull go with the new driver who is quickly proving himself? Or, will they promote the experienced driver with the support of the big engine manufacturer, even if he is a bit crashy?

Our money is on Lawson.

💨 Hot Laps

Fernando Alonso celebrated his 400th GP in Mexico, but he never thought he would get to this point.

Mexico City expects to host F1 for many years even without Checo as hometown hero.

Red Bull to lose a telecom sponsor if Checo were to leave the team.

Mercedes may need to make compromises for the remainder of the season due to cost cap issues caused by several major crashes.

🛞Marbles

Random links from the authors not always car related

✅Rally: Lancia finally has a rally car back in action with the Ypsilon Rally 4 HF. A dreadful street car but maybe a great rally car.

✅Watch: With Halloween coming up in the US, you may want a list of the 100 best horror movies ever made.

✅Travel: Try one of these 32 destinations for your winter travels.

📣 ^{Want to advertise in The Racing Recap? Learn more here}