Max Verstappen has been placed in the highest tier of Edd Straw’s Formula 1 driver rankings after the 2026 Mexican Grand Prix, despite a lock-up on his final qualifying lap and a grid penalty linked to his Friday incident with Liam Lawson. Straw judged those negatives to be outweighed by Verstappen’s pace, decision-making at the starts, defence against Lewis Hamilton and contribution to Red Bull’s recovery after a difficult Friday.
Hamilton was also one of the strongest performers in Mexico City. He secured his first pole position since 2023 and produced a competitive weekend, although his involvement in the Turn 4 incident with Verstappen prevented him from ranking even higher. Sergio Perez also impressed in race conditions, overcoming a five-second penalty for pit-lane speeding and a wheelgun problem after a strong opening stint.
Ryo Hirakawa earned praise after taking Esteban Ocon’s seat. He narrowly missed out on Q2 after encountering Alex Albon’s turbulent air, then drove aggressively in the race and passed both Williams drivers late on. Once penalties were applied, the result gave him a well-earned point. Lawson also recovered effectively from starting in the pit lane, advancing from 15th at the standing restart to claim what became the midfield victory after penalties.
Ollie Bearman’s performance was affected by a return to the older ADUO1-specification Ferrari engine during practice and a track-limits violation in qualifying. Nevertheless, he showed strong pace and was running a solid race before Nico Hulkenberg hit him from behind. Kimi Antonelli, meanwhile, celebrated securing the world championship with a tidy drive, despite feeling unwell and lacking his usual qualifying pace compared with George Russell.
Gabriel Bortoleto delivered a strong result despite limited preparation. Technical problems and missing FP1 left him with only three flying laps before qualifying, yet he set the sixth-fastest time in Q1. He then managed the race well despite limited set-up knowledge, with penalties moving him from 11th on the road to eighth.
Fernando Alonso’s weekend was difficult to assess because problems curtailed both qualifying and the race. Lando Norris showed good pace but again failed to maximise qualifying in a difficult McLaren and may also have missed an opportunity to finish ahead of Charles Leclerc. Albon had the advantage over Williams team-mate Carlos Sainz in the race, but losing a position to Hirakawa late on cost him a point.
George Russell produced an exceptional Q3 lap and could have challenged for pole with a suitable fuel load. However, a deployment problem at the start was followed by an overly aggressive approach in his battle with Isack Hadjar. The resulting penalty left him sixth, despite the pace that suggested he could have been a contender for victory.
Hadjar recovered from a first-lap spin after contact with Russell and eventually gained ninth place through penalties. Arvid Lindblad showed encouraging pace, particularly in Q2, but his weekend ended in the collision with Oscar Piastri. Although Lindblad made a late move under braking, the stewards held Piastri responsible for the incident.
Charles Leclerc’s weekend was shaped by mistakes despite strong underlying pace. He likely lost pole through imperfect tyre preparation, then made a late-braking move at Turn 4 that contributed to Ferrari losing the race. At the restart, he locked up while attacking his team-mate and carried a flat spot to the finish. Piastri also recovered from a disappointing Q2 performance, but his collision with Lindblad and the resulting penalty cost him a strong result.
Pierre Gasly was affected by a deployment issue at the start and an early pit stop, but his weekend was ultimately ruined by a penalty for failing to respect double-waved yellow flags. Franco Colapinto was similarly penalised after failing to respond to a single yellow flag, despite a strong first lap that had put him on course for eighth on the road.
Valtteri Bottas drove a clean race until a front-left suspension failure, while Lance Stroll had fewer opportunities than Alonso but remained slower during the qualifying session. Hulkenberg’s weekend was undone by a restart-lap mistake: he was caught by the concertina effect while battling Lawson and rear-ended Bearman. Straw described the error as understandable but avoidable, given the congestion that typically follows a restart.
Sources: The Race.