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Welcome back to Prime Tire, where we’re wondering what Charles Leclerc’s dog Leo thinks of his dad cussing during an F1 news conference.
And that’s just one wild thing that happened at the Mexico City GP. I’m Patrick, and Madeline Coleman will be along shortly. Let’s get to it.
Are You Not Entertained!?
We’re not going to talk too much about the Mexico City GP winner, Carlos Sainz, for a couple of reasons:
- There’s only so much time in the day, folks.
- Madeline already wrote my favorite post-race analysis about it, and you should go read it. 🤙
I will point out the seismic shift in the constructors’ standings: McLaren and Ferrari are now ahead of Red Bull. Four race weekends left!
The move we’re all thinking about
I got cute last week, writing about something other than the Max Verstappen vs. Lando Norris controversy. (Luckily, we spent the rest of the week focused on it …)
Can’t get clever this week! Let’s get into the latest drama between the two close friends.
What happened? Verstappen pushed racing etiquette to the limits again in Mexico City, trying to fend off Norris on Lap 10. Twice, on one lap, he left no room for his rival and even drove him off at Turn 7.
I have to tell you — watching live, I only caught a glimpse of the second one and thought Max had sent Norris right into the barriers. Straight up gasped.
What was the outcome? Verstappen earned two 10-second penalties and finished sixth. Norris finished third. The gap between the two atop the drivers’ standings is now just 47. Unlike last weekend, when you break down the move, it was hard to argue with the stewards:
If you and the person you’re fighting end up pointed at the barriers exiting the corner … seems pretty dangerous! Seems unnecessary!
What Norris said:
💬 “I think today it was just not fair, clean racing. Therefore, I think he got what he had coming to him.”
What Verstappen said:
💬 “I just drive how I think I have to drive.”
What The Athletic said:
📝 “… Verstappen will not shy away from his aggressive brand of racing, especially in the heat of a championship fight when the Red Bull car has not given him the performance or confidence he needs to comfortably clinch a fourth title.”
Read the full analysis by our F1 senior writer Luke Smith. Now, let’s throw it to Madeline in the paddock for the other Red Bull drama …
Inside the Paddock with Madeline Coleman: Pérez versus … Lawson?
Sergio Pérez wasn’t thrilled with Liam Lawson at the end of the Mexico City Grand Prix. The two were battling for P10 during the first half of the race, and Pérez made a move up the inside of the RB at the Turn 4/5 chicane. They were side-by-side before Lawson went off the track, staying close to Pérez and later leaving no room for the Red Bull driver as they navigated around another turn.
This moment during Pérez’s home race came after Lawson and Fernando Alonso clashed multiple times during the U.S. Grand Prix weekend.
“I think the way he has come to Formula One, I don’t think he has the right attitude for it. He needs to be a bit more humble, you know. When a two-time world champion was saying things last weekend, he completely ignored him,” Pérez said. “It’s like when you come to Formula One, you’re obviously very hungry and so on, but you have to be as well respectful off-track and on-track. I don’t think he’s showing the right attitude to show a good pace for himself, because I think he’s a great driver and I hope for him that he can step back and learn from it.”
Onboard cameras during the Mexico City GP showed Lawson raising his middle finger to Pérez later in the race when he overtook the Mexican driver.
“It’s obviously one of those in-the-moment things, he spent half the lap blocking me trying to ruin my race,” Lawson said. “I was upset, but it’s not an excuse, I shouldn’t have done it and I apologize for that.”
Thanks, Madeline. One more note on this: Remember, Red Bull Gmbh owns both Red Bull Racing and RB. They operate independently, but are considered “sister teams.” After the race, Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko chastised Lawson:
💬 “We are brother teams and Lawson should not drive as hard as he did.”
Sorry, that’s incredibly annoying to me! That’s not how sports works, my guy. Anyway …
Let’s Talk About Checo: Pérez in the hot seat (again)
The Mexico City GP was Pérez’s home race, but it was a miserable weekend for the veteran Red Bull driver. He qualified 18th, got a false start penalty in the race and finished P17. Luke wrote that he needed a breakthrough — this was not that.
A note in his story that stood out: Pérez hasn’t finished inside the top five since he re-signed with Red Bull in June. If you’re wondering why Red Bull finds itself in third place behind Ferrari and McLaren today, well, here’s one reason …
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I thought it was interesting that Red Bull boss Christian Horner said this weekend that Pérez “has a contract for next year, so he’s currently our driver for 2025.” But the new contract he’s on has an option for 2026.
After the race, Horner was asked if Pérez would see out this season at Red Bull:
💬 “There comes a point in time that difficult decisions have to be made. We’re now third in the constructor’s championship.”
You see why Pérez took his battle with Lawson so seriously. That’s a hot seat he’s in, and Lawson could fill it.
Outside the Points
Horner spoke to the media about Max’s penalties with a lot of printed out charts. Gotta love old-school spin!
The Mercedes’ battle for P4 was very fun. And nobody collided! What a concept.
Finally, shout-out to the Ferrari crewman who took a dive and still released his driver properly. 10/10!
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(Photo: Rudy Carezzevoli / Getty Images)
