Our 3 “caliente” moments from the Grand Prix du México

1. Rififi between Verstappen and Vettel in 2016

A year after a calming return to the calendar of the Formula 1, the Mexican Grand Prix is ​​experiencing its first strong moment in 2016. Nothing is obviously worth reporting for the tandem Lewis Hamilton-Nico Rosberg (Mercedes), comfortably installed at the head of the event. Behind, however, it’s much less calm…

At the end of the course, Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) background on a Max Verstappen (Red Bull) in difficulty with his erasers. The fiery Dutchman “turned on” his tires several times, which had the effect of making him leave the track at the first corner, while the four-time world champion began an offensive:

When passing through the grass, the Red Bull takes on a little air, which greatly displeases the Scuderia driver. “He must let me pass, he curses on the radio. You don't see what I see! He slows me down to allow (his teammate) Ricciardo to come back to me! » Verstappen does not comply, and Vettel comes out of his hinges and invites Charlie Whiting, the Race Director at the FIA, " go (S)"fuck off" because according to him the officials were not acting quickly enough.

In the process, the German falls into the trap set by his opponent. Daniel Ricciardo dives inside at the end of the straight but the Ferrari does not let it count and changes its trajectory. The two cars touch each other several times, the tension is maximum!

Surprisingly, the positions will not change until the finish, where Sebastian Vettel shakes an angry index finger at the young Verstappen. The latter is invited to head towards the podium since he finished third, but a 5-second penalty relegates him behind the Ferrari. Then, it was Vettel who was penalized 10 seconds for “potentially dangerous driving” on Ricciardo.

The beneficiary of this big mess is therefore Daniel Ricciardo, who gains two places on the green carpet and finishes in third place. Alas, the Australe will never be on this podium of October 30, 2016.

2. The Hamilton-Alonso duel in 2017

This is everything motorsport enthusiasts love. A battle between two leaders of their discipline, without low blows, all under the seal of respect. This was the recipe for the duel between Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) and Fernando Alonso (McLaren) during the 2017 Mexican Grand Prix.

The level of the fight was uneven. At the wheel of one of the slowest single-seaters on the field, the double Spanish champion tried to push back the deadline until the grip and the horses of the Silver Arrow took precedence. It was inevitable, but it was beautiful! Launched into a comeback following a collision with Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari at the start, Lewis Hamilton made short work of his ex-teammate at McLaren 10 years previously. He then secured his fourth crown while Fernando Alonso finished 10th.

“You don't benefit when you have different cars, criticized the Spaniard. On the other hand, it was good to fight a bit with Lewis at the end of the race. It's a shame we missed those km/h on the straight because I think the race would have been different. When you have a car 30 or 40 km/h slower on the straights and you manage to stay ahead (Hamilton), it's truly pleasent. »

3. Departure in 2021

On a motorcycle, we would call this “trapper braking”. The equivalent does not exist on four wheels, but we could analyze the action of Max Verstappen (Red Bull) during the first hectometers of the 2021 edition with this formula: “Braking at the panel almost too late”!

The Dutchman wants to reverse the trend at all costs following complicated qualifications for the Red Bull. Deliberately discreet in Q1 and Q2, the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton, his rival for the title, and Valtteri Bottas, came out of the woods just in time for Q3. The strategic move was successful, and Max Verstappen found himself destabilized in third place on Saturday evening.

The next day, he recovered from the first braking, thanks in part to the Finnish pole-sitter. He makes a laborious takeoff, which prevents his teammate and leader Lewis Hamilton from taking advantage of his aspiration to obtain a few precious additional km/h.

For his part, Max Verstappen takes the outside trajectory, which provides more grip because it is less dusty. This allows him to delay his braking phase further compared to the two Mercedes, located on the dirty portion on the inside. What followed was a disaster for the Star brand (Hamilton finished 2nd), and a boon for the future world champion, winner in the Mexican capital. As a bonus, Valtteri Bottas is hit by Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) and will finish 15th!

“I was trying to hold on to the Red Bull I saw in my rearview mirror behind, and I thought Valtteri would do the same. But he obviously left the door open for Max, and Max was on the line, so he braked really well in the first corner, Lewis Hamilton would later analyze. Because I was inside on the dust, there was no hope for me. »