It's the second week of Edd Straw's new tier list Formula 1 driver rankings format, as he takes a closer look at each driver's individual performance at the Mexican Grand Prix.
๐ The Core Development
Considering nobody was flawless across the Mexico City weekend, who ended up in the coveted S tier? And whose mistakes tanked their rankings?
As usual, you can ask your questions about Edd's rankings by commenting on this post in The Race Members' Club - and have a crack at compiling your own Mexican GP tier list with our handy visual tool !
๐ Background & Sector Context
Max Verstappen raced with his usual incisive brilliance, showing strong pace and outstanding decision-making at the starts and in keeping Hamilton behind. On top of that, he was also central to Red Bull's recovery after a difficult Friday.
In many circumstances, the lock-up that ruined his last qualifying lap would have denied him a place in this tier, but the mitigating circumstances of traffic's contribution to that save him - even though the one-place grid penalty for Friday nonsense with Liam Lawson is also a small negative that in other circumstances might have bumped him to a lower tier.
๐ Industry & Real-World Impact
Ryo Hirakawa 's unique circumstances mean he has to be judged by what would normally be generous standards for the job he did after taking over Esteban Ocon's seat. He was flirting with reaching Q2 before hitting Alex Albon's turbulent air in the middle sector of his final Q1 run, meaning the gap to Bearman was exaggerated. He then drove a combative race, passing both the Williams drivers late on, for a well-deserved point once penalties were applied.
Benchmark Telemetry & EV Fuel Savings
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๐ฎ Strategic Outlook & What Lies Ahead
Liam Lawson recovered from setbacks to score points. He started from the pits but despite the red flag timing not helping him, he made steady progress then surged from 15th at the standing restart to take what was ultimately the midfield win after penalties were applied.
For Lewis Hamilton , this was a strong weekend save for his part in the Turn 4 moment where both drivers braked too late to make the corner. Had he avoided that, he would likely swap places with Verstappen. His first pole position since 2023 was also brilliantly-taken.
