today, 12:45 | by Lieke Jacobs
The well-known course of events was also repeated in Mexico: Max Verstappen took the victory and outsmarted and outpaced the competition. Both Ferrari drivers started the race with a hopeful battle plan, but in the end it was to no avail. Even though the once again dominant Verstappen also confirmed the result of this race in round one, there was still a lot of chaos during the 71 laps completed. There was also a lot of chattering on the on-board radio, and F1Maximaal listed the best messages.
The race immediately started with a bang, in the literal sense of the word. Sergio Pérez started the race too overconfidently and therefore turned dangerously quickly when the field reached turn one. The Mexican was able to put an end to his own race, while Charles Leclerc, to great relief, was able to continue his way without irreparable damage. Things went wrong for Pérez, because the inevitable message soon came over the radio: ‘Box, box, Checo.’
The Mexican did not return to the track afterwards, becoming the first dropout of the crazy race, but at the same time Leclerc was anxiously awaiting the message from his team. His engineer soon came up with the redeeming words: ‘We have some damage to the front wing, but we keep driving. It’s nothing serious.’ The Monegasque managed to escape unscathed after an incident that could possibly have cost him his race.
Tire wear shows no mercy to drivers
Before the race, there was already speculation here and there about tire wear in Mexico, because temperatures were expected to play a major role. No sooner said than done: after about ten laps, complaints about the on-board radio were already coming in, including Max Verstappen. “The tires are really giving out, man! There’s not much I can do about it!’ Not much later, the Dutchman was brought in to solve the problem, but engineer Gianpiero Lambiase sent Verstappen back to the track with an important message: ‘Be careful with the tires in the first laps, Max.’
Even though Verstappen took victory again, it was not an easy weekend for him either. (Photo: Red Bull Content Pool)
Strategic choices also played a major role in the Ferrari team, and the bickering over the on-board radio soon made it clear that the drivers were given a voice in the moment of the pit stop. For example, Carlos Sainz’s engineer emphasized the following: “We still think that one pit stop will be the best choice for us.” In the end it turned out that the team was right, and with a bit of luck that strategy also worked out well. Leclerc, on the other hand, was asked a different kind of question by his engineer: ‘How many more laps do you think you can do at this speed?’ The Monegasque sounded positive and emphasized that he could continue like this for a while.
Crash Magnussen causes hectic events
The halfway point of the race was now rapidly approaching, until Kevin Magnussen’s crash shook things up once again. The rear suspension of the Haas car broke off, causing the Dane to land with a hard blow into the wall. There was even fire involved, so the race management decided to stop everything with a Safety Car and later even a red flag. Valtteri Bottas saw it happen from the ringside and immediately took stock: ‘A car just crashed right in front of me, that will definitely be a Safety Car!’ Lewis Hamilton also worriedly asked if everything was okay, and fortunately his engineer came with the redeeming news: “Yes, he has now gotten out.”
After a lap behind the Safety Car, race management announced the red flag, and so all drivers were brought back to the pit lane. However, Verstappen understood little about the choice for a red flag and made this clear on the on-board radio: ‘A red flag? Why? All I saw was a little fire.” In all likelihood, the Dutchman had missed the damage to the fence when passing, but the red flag was certainly necessary to calmly straighten everything out.
Magnussen had to abandon his race early after a hard blow, but is fortunately okay after a visit to the hospital. (Photo: Haas F1 Team)
Standing starts throw a spanner in the works for many
When the clean-up work was completed, the race management decided to go for a standing restart. However, not everyone could understand that choice, and Leclerc also had his doubts about it. ‘A standing start on hard tires is going to be really hectic!’ Nevertheless, the drivers drove back to the starting grid, and this time everyone fortunately escaped unscathed. However, it turned out that the drivers had lost a lot in the long run during the red flag, and the tires in particular suddenly seemed to be having a much harder time.
Hamilton was particularly dissatisfied with the tires he had on his car, and the seven-time world champion had his doubts about the quality of the medium tires. “Keep your wits about you,” came the voice over the on-board radio. ‘Yes, I’m trying! But it’s going to be a difficult situation,” Hamilton admitted. Not much later, the Briton’s panic increased even further when he felt the tires wearing down lap by lap. ‘I really have a long way to go on these tyres!’ However, his team did not give in and tried to reassure him for the umpteenth time. “We still have all kinds of opportunities here, friend.”
Emotions are running high towards the end of the race
No one seemed to give in during the race, and in several cases this led to daring actions and fierce fights. This is how Yuki Tsunoda and Oscar Piastri met towards the end of the race. Tsunoda was eager to pass the rookie, but Piastri did not give in easily. Ultimately, contact occurred between the two men, causing Tsunoda to fall far back and miss the opportunity for points. This logically caused frustration for the Japanese, and it became clear over the on-board radio that his mood was deteriorating further and further. ‘I don’t need any information for a moment, I don’t want anything at all!’ he shouted over the on-board radio when his engineer tried to encourage him,
Tsunoda was not having a good time after the incident with Piastri. (Photo: Red Bull Content Pool)
The McLaren team tried to do everything they could in between to get the best possible result, and they seemed to be doing well as the race progressed. Lando Norris had climbed from the back to the top ten, and ended up on the tail of teammate Piastri towards the end of the race. However, the Brit was faster, and so the team orders soon followed: ‘If your speed stays like this, you have to let Lando pass, or you have to find another half second somewhere.’ Piastri remained realistic and admitted that he could not do that, so the two men switched positions.
Norris was then able to hunt for Russell, who seemed to be weakening a bit not too far ahead of him. Still, Norris’ engineer warned him about the possible fight, because Russell is not always easy to overtake. “We know from Russell that it’s often all or nothing for him, so stay patient.” Ultimately, the McLaren driver was able to overtake Russell, and after an excellent catch-up race, the Briton was able to head to Brazil in fifth position. However, a lot further forward, Verstappen crossed the line as winner for the umpteenth time this season, and this could be heard all too well over the on-board radio: ‘A new day and a new victory, friend! And a new record too!’
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2023-10-30 11:45:00
#Onboard #radios #Mexico #Wellknown #frustration #Tsunoda #dont #hear #Maximum
