The Mexican Grand Prix may not have been the most thrilling or eventful race of the season, but it did prove to be an interesting battle of strategies up and down the field.
Those who opted to take harder compound tyres after their first pit stops struggled to make them work, while those who took the aggressive route of using medium or even soft tyres generally found that paid dividends later in the race.
With only two drivers dropping out, the 20 drivers did a generally good job of keeping their cars on the road. But as always some did better than others. Here are the RaceFans driver ratings for the Mexican Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton – 7
Qualified: 3rd (-1 place behind team mate)
+0.005s slower than team mate in Q3
Finished: 2nd (+2 places ahead of team mate)
- First Q3 lap deleted for track limits, then missed out on front row start by five-thousandths of a second from team mate
- Started on medium tyres and passed team mate for second in turn two on the opening lap
- Maintained a gap of around two seconds to leader despite harder tyres before pitting after Verstappen on lap 29
- Fitted hard tyres and rejoined six seconds behind Verstappen
- Struggled to keep pace with Verstappen ahead on his hard tyres, slowly falling back over the course of the second stint
- Had Perez get within two seconds but successfully kept the Red Bull out of DRS range until pulling away
- Crossed the line to take a disappointing second place, over 15 seconds behind the winner
George Russell – 6
Qualified: 2nd (+1 place ahead of team mate)
-0.005s quicker than team mate in Q3
Finished: 4th (-2 places behind team mate)
- Missed first practice to allow Nyck de Vries to drive in his place
- Had been level with Verstappen on final Q3 lap before mistake in turn 12 cost him chance at pole
- Lined up second on the grid on mediums and challenged Verstappen into turn one before losing places to Hamilton and Perez
- Kept around two seconds behind Perez before the Red Bull pitted, then lobbied team to extend first stint
- Pitted for hards from the lead on lap 34, rejoining five seconds further back from Perez in fourth
- Slowly began to close gap to Perez over second stint but remained at least four seconds behind
- Asked team to pit him under Virtual Safety Car but told to stay out
- Pitted on penultimate lap for softs, remaining in fourth and finishing there
- Comfortably claimed the fastest lap of the race on the final lap
Max Verstappen – 8
Qualified: Pole (+3 places ahead of team mate)
-0.353s quicker than team mate in Q3
Finished: Winner (+2 places ahead of team mate)
- Took pole position by three tenths despite not being quickest in a single session prior to Q3
- Started on soft tyres and kept Russell behind him on the run to turn one to retain the lead
- Could not drop Hamilton behind him but maintained the gap on softs until his tyres began to degrade
- Pitted for mediums on lap 25, regaining the lead when Russell pitted for hards on lap 34
- Maintained a consistent rhythm of 42 green flag laps in the 1’22s to grow his lead while preserving his tyres
- Crossed the line to win by 15 seconds and set new record for most wins in a season
Sergio Perez – 6
Qualified: 4th (-3 places behind team mate)
+0.353s slower than team mate in Q3
Finished: 3rd (-2 places behind team mate)
- Suffered an electrical problem throughout qualifying which affected DRS activation and wiped benchmark lap times
- Beaten to fourth on the grid behind Mercedes while team mate took pole nearly half a second ahead
- Started on softs and aggressively challenged Russell for third, taking the place into turn four
- Could not get within DRS range of Hamilton ahead in opening sting despite softer tyres
- Pitted first of the leaders on lap 23 for mediums but lost three seconds with a problem on the left-rear
- Used new tyres to make up time lost and catch up to Hamilton, but could not breach his DRS range
- Eventually began to drop away from Hamilton in the final 15 laps, crossing the line third to take another home podium
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Carlos Sainz Jnr – 6
Qualified: 5th (+2 places ahead of team mate)
-0.204s quicker than team mate in Q3
Finished: 5th (+1 place ahead of team mate)
- Fastest in opening practice session
- Secured fifth on the grid two places ahead of team mate while securing likely the best position possible
- Started on soft tyres and held position on the opening lap
- Fell back steadily from Russell ahead but slowly grew gap over team mate behind
- Pitted for mediums on lap 29 and passed Bottas who was yet to pit to move back up to fifth
- Slowly increased gap over team mate but fell off over half a minute from Russell ahead
- Crossed the line in fifth, ten seconds ahead of team mate by the chequered flag
Charles Leclerc – 5
Qualified: 7th (-2 places behind team mate)
+0.204s slower than team mate in Q3
Finished: 6th (-1 place behind team mate)
- Lost control of his car at turn seven midway through second practice and wrecked the rear of his car in the barriers
- Suffered engine problem in Q3 that cost him 15km/h on the run to the stadium, leaving him seventh on the grid
- Started on soft tyres, picking up one position on the opening lap from Bottas
- Ran behind team mate in first stint before pitting first for medium tyres
- Moved back up to sixth position, gradually falling back from his team mate while comfortably ahead of Alonso behind
- Finished a lonely sixth, ten seconds adrift of his team mate
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Lando Norris – 6
Qualified: 8th (+3 places ahead of team mate)
-0.206s quicker than team mate in Q2
Finished: 9th (-2 places behind team mate)
- Ahead of team mate in every timed session
- Beat team mate in qualifying by reaching Q3, then beat Alpines to secure eighth on the grid
- Started on mediums and dropped two places on the opening lap to fall to tenth behind Ocon
- Kept in touch of Ocon but outside of DRS range for opening stint until pitting on lap 31
- Switched to hard tyres and rejoined in 15th before making places as cars ahead pitted
- Moved up to tenth, then asked to allow team mate by on softer tyres
- Caught and passed Bottas for ninth place where he finished, four seconds behind Ocon
Daniel Ricciardo – 6
Qualified: 11th (-3 places behind team mate)
+0.206s slower than team mate in Q2
Finished: 7th (+2 places ahead of team mate)
- Behind team mate in every timed session
- Just missed out on following team mate into Q3 by half-a-tenth to line up 11th on the grid
- Started on mediums and fell two places on the opening lap to 13th behind Zhou
- Stayed within a second of Zhou in the early laps, eventually passing him on lap nine
- Caught up to Tsunoda who promptly pitted, then extended his opening stint before pitting himself on lap 44 for softs
- Rejoined back in 13th place and caught Tsunoda but earned a ten second penalty with a reckless move at turn four
- Caught team mate and was allowed through into tenth, then passed Bottas and Ocon with faster soft tyres
- Pulled out a gap of over ten seconds to Ocon to negate his penalty and retain seventh place finish
Fernando Alonso – 7
Qualified: 9th (+1 place ahead of team mate)
-0.071s quicker than team mate in Q3
Classified: 19th (-11 places behind team mate)
- Behind team mate in all time sessions they both contested except for Q3 when he out-qualified him by a tenth
- Started on mediums, picking up two positions on the opening lap
- Kept Bottas behind in the early laps and ran behind the Ferraris until pitting after a long opening stint on lap 40
- Fitted hard tyres and continued to run in seventh, pulling ahead of team mate behind
- Lost a cylinder on his engine which cost him power down the straights and nearly two seconds a lap
- Dropped two places to Ocon and Ricciardo before pulling off track at turn one on lap 64
- Classified as a finisher in 19th having completed more than 90% of the race distance
Esteban Ocon – 6
Qualified: 10th (-1 place behind team mate)
+0.071s slower than team mate in Q3
Finished: 8th (+11 places ahead of team mate)
- Sat out of first practice for Jack Doohan
- Quicker than team mate in every timed session except for Q3 after being beaten by a tenth
- Started on mediums and gained one place over Norris on the opening lap
- Fell back from Botts ahead in first stint, then pitted for hard tyres on lap 33, rejoining behind Gasly in 13th
- Used fresh tyres to pass Gasly and then successfully overtake Bottas into the first chicane
- Ran behind team mate in eighth until Alonso developed a problem which allowed him to take seventh
- Lost seventh to Ricciardo on soft tyres, eventually taking eighth at the finish
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Pierre Gasly – 5
Qualified: 14th (-1 place behind team mate)
+0.083s slower than team mate in Q2
Finished: 11th
- Behind team mate in every session
- Knocked out of Q2 in 14th, less than a tenth behind team mate
- Started on mediums and lost two places on the opening lap
- Ran behind Stroll in 15th place and clumsily shoved him off at turn four, gaining the place and a five second penalty
- Extended his first stint and pitted for softs on lap 40, emerging in 16th place behind Albon
- Pressured Albon before following him passed Vettel, then caught and overtook the Williams for 11th with three laps to go
- Caught Bottas on the final lap but ran out of time to challenge him, finishing just out of the points in 11th
Yuki Tsunoda – 6
Qualified: 13th (+1 place ahead of team mate)
-0.083s quicker than team mate in Q2
Finished: Retired (Crash damage – L51)
- Ahead of team mate in every timed session
- Missed opening practice to allow Liam Lawson to drive in his place
- Was in the top ten for third practice and Q1, but was eliminated from Q2 in 13th after being frustrated with track position
- Started 13th on softs and gained two places at the start
- Ran in 11th and pitted for mediums on lap 29 when he came under pressure from Ricciardo
- Ran behind Norris after pitting but was caught again by Ricciardo
- Barged out of 11th place by Ricciardo at turn six, causing damage that forced him into retirement
Sebastian Vettel – 6
Qualified: 17th (+1 place ahead of team mate)
-0.101s quicker than team mate in Q1
Started: 16th (+4 places ahead of team mate)
Finished: 14th (+1 place ahead of team mate)
- Struggling with poor balance in qualifying and eliminated from Q1 in 17th, a tenth ahead of team mate
- Started on softs in 16th, gaining two places on the opening lap
- Used softer tyres to pull ahead of team mate and pressure Zhou ahead but couldn’t get close enough to pass
- Pitted for mediums on lap 38 and rejoined ahead of Albon
- Lost 12th after being passed by Albon, then lost two more place to Gasly and Zhou
- Ran 15th but promoted one place when Alonso retired
- Finished 14th, ten seconds ahead of team mate
Lance Stroll – 5
Qualified: 18th (-1 place behind team mate)
+0.101s slower than team mate in Q1
Started: 20th (-4 places behind team mate)
Finished: 15th (-1 place behind team mate)
- Eliminated 18th in Q1 just a tenth of a second behind team mate
- Dropped to the back of the grid after serving three place penalty from Austin crash with Alonso
- Started on mediums and made up five places on opening lap to move behind team mate in 15th
- Lost a place to Gasly after being illegally shoved off track into turn four
- Came under pressure from Albon before pitting for softs, dropping to the back
- Overtook Magnussen to move up to 17th before pitting for a second set of softs on lap 40
- Passed Schumacher for 16th to move behind team mate, finishing ten seconds behind in 15th
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Nicholas Latifi – 4
Qualified: 20th (-1 place behind team mate)
+0.308s slower than team mate in Q1
Started: 18th (-1 place behind team mate)
Finished: 18th (-6 places behind team mate)
- Behind team mate in every session
- Eliminated slowest in Q1 qualify 20th which became 18th after penalties for drivers ahead
- Started on softs but lost two places on the long run to turn one, leaving him last
- Picked up unspecified damage in his first stint which compromised his race pace
- Overtook Magnussen on lap seven and was one of the first drivers to pit on lap 23 for hard tyres
- Ran at the back two seconds slower than the rest of the field, then made a second stop for softs on lap 52
- Continued to run well off the pace and finished last of the cars running in 18th, the only driver two be lapped twice
Alexander Albon – 7
Qualified: 19th (+1 place ahead of team mate)
-0.308s quicker than team mate in Q1
Started: 17th (+1 place ahead of team mate)
Finished: 12th (+6 places ahead of team mate)
- Ahead of team mate in every session
- Sat out FP1 to allow future team mate Sargeant to run in his car
- Frustrated to be knocked out of Q1 in 19th after mistake in turn seven while on track for 15th place
- Started 17th on mediums and fell two places at the start after suffering misfire to sit in 19th
- Overtook Magnussen and Schumacher to move up into 17th, then pressured Stroll ahead
- Pitted for soft tyres from 14th place on lap 38, rejoining in 17th
- Caught and passed Vettel but lost a place to Gasly in the closing laps
- Crossed the line in 12th place two seconds behind Gasly but 11 seconds ahead of Zhou’s Alfa Romeo
Valtteri Bottas – 7
Qualified: 6th (+6 places ahead of team mate)
-0.714s quicker than team mate in Q2
Finished: 10th (+3 places ahead of team mate)
- Ahead of team mate in every session
- Comfortably reached Q3 before out-qualifying a Ferrari to take an impressive sixth on the grid
- Started on mediums and dropped two places to Leclerc and Alonso on the opening lap
- Kept within DRS range of Alonso over early laps but eventually dropped back slowly to over three seconds
- Pitted for hards on lap 39 and rejoined ahead of Ocon but was quickly overtaken into the first chicane
- Fell back from Ocon before being caught and passed by the two McLarens
- Held off heavy pressure from Gasly on the final lap to take final point in tenth
Zhou Guanyu – 4
Qualified: 12th (-6 places behind team mate)
+0.714s slower than team mate in Q2
Finished: 13th (-3 places behind team mate)
- Behind team mate in every session
- Just secured passage to Q2 on final lap but failed to follow team mate into Q3, eliminated in 12th
- Maintained position at the start on mediums but later lost ninth place to Ricciardo, then withstood pressure from Vettel
- Aided his team mate by extended his opening stint longer than anyone else to pit for softs on lap 45
- Rejoined behind Vettel in 16th but caught and passed him with fresh softs
- Dropped off from Gasly ahead in the final laps, eventually finishing in 13th, more than ten seconds from car ahead
- Described the race as “one of the toughest” of his rookie season
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Mick Schumacher – 5
Qualified: 16th (-1 place behind team mate)
+0.126s slower than team mate in Q1
Started: 15th (+4 places ahead of team mate)
Finished: 16th (+1 place ahead of team mate)
- Knocked out of Q1 in 16th place, less than a tenth slower than team mate, after best lap was deleted for track limits
- Started 15th on soft tyres but lost two places on the first lap
- Fell off the back of Gasly ahead and was overtaken by Albon on lap nine
- Pitted for mediums on lap 24 and rejoined ahead of only Latifi
- Gained a place over Stroll when the Aston Martin pitted, but was chased down and passed on lap 51
- Lost time to his team mate behind over the final stint but finished almost two seconds ahead in 16th
Kevin Magnussen – 5
Qualified: 15th (+1 place ahead of team mate)
-0.126s quicker than team mate in Q1
Started: 19th (-4 places behind team mate)
Finished: 17th (-1 place behind team mate)
- Missed first practice to allow Fittipaldi to drive his car
- Prevented from running on his tyres in second practice due to a turbo problem from first practice
- Beat team mate to reach Q2 but was eliminated slowest in 15th
- Hit with a five place grid penalty for taking a sixth power unit
- Started 19th on mediums and gained one place over Albon on the opening lap
- Fell to last after being overtaken by Albon and Latifi
- Pitted for softs on lap 38 and rejoined ahead of Latifi in 19th
- Caught up to the back of his team mate but ultimately finished under two seconds behind in 17th
Over to you
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