My BIGGEST Winners and Losers of the F1 Mexico City Grand Prix

Matt Hylen
3 minutes ago
6 min read

Wow, lots to discuss here.

Round 20 of the 2025 Formula 1 season in Mexico City has wrapped up in chaotic fashion. Though it may not have ended in the way fans would have hoped, so much was happening already that made this race one of the best of the season. So, in light of this, let's talk winners and losers!

But before we do, make sure you check out my predictions article (you can find it below) to see how I did! I feel I did pretty well, so go check it out to see if you agree!

As always, here are a few reminders and a look at both Standings as a result of the Mexico GP:

Formula One has two main championship competitions. The first of the two Championships is the Drivers' Championship, which is a competition based on the drivers' individual performance. On a non-Sprint style weekend, the drivers who finish in the top 10 in each race will score points (the higher you place, the more points you get). These points are added up, and whichever driver finishes with the most points at the end of the season will win the Drivers' Championship.

The next is the Constructors' Championship, a competition between the teams. The number of points the drivers within a team get each race is combined, creating the total points for the team (e.g., Lando Norris has scored 314 points and Oscar Piastri has scored 336 points, giving the McLaren team 650 points in the Constructors' Championship). The team whose drivers accumulate the most points combined for their team will win the Constructors' Championship.

Note, 21 drivers will be listed within the Drivers' Championship Standings, as Franco Colapinto replaced Jack Doohan at Alpine.

Now, here is a look at the standings for both Championships:

Drivers' Championship Standings:

Lando Norris 357 points
Oscar Piastri 356 points
Max Verstappen 321 points
George Russell 258 points
Charles Leclerc 210 points
Lewis Hamilton 146 points
Andrea Kimi Antonelli 97 points
Alexander Albon 73 points
Nico Hülkenberg 41 points
Isack Hadjar 39 points
Carlos Sainz 38 points
Fernando Alonso 37 points
Oliver Bearman 32 points
Lance Stroll 32 points
Liam Lawson 30 points
Esteban Ocon 30 points
Yuki Tsunoda 28 points
Pierre Gasly 20 points
Gabriel Bortoleto 19 points
Franco Colapinto 0 points
Jack Doohan 0 points

Constructors' Championship Standings:

McLaren 713 points
Ferrari 356 points
Mercedes 355 points
Red Bull 346 points
Williams 111 points
VCARB 72 points
Aston Martin 69 points
Haas 62 points
Kick Sauber 60 points
Alpine 20 points

Standings were found at F1.com.

Winner: Oliver Bearman

I mean, who would have thought?!

Oliver Bearman was absolutely fantastic this weekend. Not only did he make Q3 in a car that has been in a major slump since the summer break, but he brilliantly overtook SIX drivers in less than ten laps. Seeing what was happening in front of him with the Ferraris, Mercedes, and Max Verstappen, he waited for his opportunity and took full advantage when it came.

On top of that, in a Haas, he defended both Mercedes drivers the entire race and a McLaren in Oscar Piastri for the majority of it. This is just about the greatest performance you could have asked from the rookie Brit.

Loser: Lewis Hamilton

Lewis started off the weekend so well, clinching his first podium start for a Grand Prix this season. Yet, it was all for naught as a 10-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage cost him a shot at a podium.

For those unfamiliar with what specifically happened, after Hamilton collided with Max Verstappen heading into a corner, he had to bail on the next corner and drive off-track. The issue was that he did not follow the "escape route" that drivers are supposed to follow if they go wide. This resulted in Hamilton coming back on track further ahead than he should have.

Now, was this penalty fair? In my eyes, no. I disagree with it due to the fact that Verstappen and Charles Leclerc did very similar things when they went wide and were not penalized. To only penalize Hamilton when Verstappen did something similar twice and Leclerc's was arguably worse, was the wrong decision in my eyes. Either penalize all of them or just deem it racing incidents and don't give out any penalties.

So, though it was not entirely in his control, Hamilton's weekend was lost before it even began.

Winner: Lando Norris

Along with Bearman, Norris is the clearest winner of the weekend. I mean, when he is confident in himself, it is a night and day difference from when he's not. Not only did he absolutely dominate the entire weekend, he put together arguably the best weekend of his career. Now he leads the Drivers' Championship by a point over his teammate Oscar Piastri.

This version of Lando Norris, complemented by McLaren's pace, is simply unstoppable. To finish more than 40 seconds ahead of his teammate, who led the championship going into this weekend, is beyond impressive.

Norris just needs to maintain this confidence because if he does, there is simply nothing anyone can do to beat him.

Loser: Alpine

I will keep this short because this one is pretty self-explanatory, but my goodness, was Alpine a whole new level of slow. I mean, they finished over 30 seconds behind Lance Stroll, who was running 14th and third to last among the finishers! All I am going to say is that the tanking for the 2026 season Alpine is doing better pay off, or this may get so much worse than it already is.

Winner: Gabriel Bortoleto

With all that was happening at the front of the grid, Gabriel Bortoleto's race performance flew under the radar. He bounced back from a disappointing P16 qualifying result and made up major ground on the competition. He also kept things clean and weathered the early DRS train that lasted multiple laps to secure a point for Kick Sauber.

Sure, it is only a point, but any points matter so much for Kick Sauber right now, who are in an intense 4-team battle for 6th in the Constructors' Championship. Great work from Gabby.

Loser: The FIA Stewards

Just when you think it could not get any worse, it gets worse. Let's start with the image you see above. Yes, those are people running across the track while Liam Lawson is, at full speed, accelerating from a corner. Apparently, the stewards did not realize Lawson had pitted early and was not with the rest of the field.

So, when they radioed the groundskeepers to pick up debris on the track, little did they know a full-speed Formula 1 car was heading right their way. Thank goodness no one was hurt or injured, but this is simply unacceptable in any way you look at it.

These groundskeepers are volunteers who are willingly giving their time to help the race run smoothly. This was so incredibly dangerous for everyone involved and cannot happen again.

Now... the VSC. What a way to absolutely ROB viewers of a possible season-best race finish. There was no reason whatsoever to call a VSC; Carlos Sainz (the driver who spun out and crashed) was safe, and his car was off the track, and there was no notable or dangerous debris on the racing line.

Not only that, but the Championship leader as well as a Drivers' Championship hopeful were fighting for position. There was SO much at stake during those final two laps that could have changed the outcome of this race and possibly the entire Drivers' Championship.

Of course, the FIA Stewards have such a tough job that requires sometimes impossible decision-making, but this call was a brutal one that never should have been made.