F1 2023: Mexico City Grand Prix, news, results, Daniel Ricciardo, Oscar Piastri, Sergio Perez crash, full finishing order, video, highlights

Daniel Ricciardo delivered a massive statement in a dramatic edition of the Mexico City Grand Prix that was marred by two serious crashes, finishing seventh in his AlphaTauri - a result that commentators described as a “$20m result potentially”.

That’s because the points gained from what was the team’s highest finish of the season lifted AlphaTauri off the bottom in the constructor’s championship – leapfrogging both Haas and Alfa Romeo.

The actual prize money awarded to teams is kept secret by F1, but Sky Sports claimed the difference would be a whopping $20m USD/$32m AUD.

Sky Sports’ Karun Chandok said: “I was just looking through the points table. Even though they’re equal on points with a few races to go, Alpha Tauri will technically be ahead (of Alfa Romeo) because Ricciardo’s had a better finish. So it’s still going to be a $20m result potentially, this.”

Fellow commentator David Croft also praised Ricciardo, saying: “This is a big day out for Ricciardo, to be hanging on to a works’ Mercedes-Benz (George Russell). Just the statement he needed to be making.”

On a day when under-fire Red Bull star Sergio Perez crashed on the first corner at his home race, Ricciardo’s statement drive significantly boosted his case to replace the Mexican driver at his former team.

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MASSIVE crash prompts Red Flag in Mexico | 01:20

Meanwhile Max Verstappen cruised to a third-straight Mexican victory - his 16th of the season also setting a new record in F1 - ahead of Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes and Charles Leclerc of Ferrari.

The other Australian Oscar Piastri started seventh and came home just one place further back, but his solid drive was overshadowed by a sublime performance from his McLaren teammate Lando Norris, who started 17th but finished fifth after a remarkable string of overtakes.

He said after the race: “It was enjoyable, I didn’t think I’d get back to P5!”

Both Piastri and Ricciardo were involved in heated battles as the race progressed, and indeed both were caught up in collisions - but came home safely in a strong double result for Australian fans.

But there was no shortage of action as a pair of monster crashes lit the fuse on a chaotic race.

Home hope Sergio Perez crashed his Red Bull heavily on the first corner, slamming into the pole-sitting Ferrari of Leclerc as the Mexican star tried to swoop into the lead after a lightning-quick start from fifth.

Then at the mid-way point of the race, Kevin Magnussen slammed his car into the barriers after a malfunction at 225km/h – bringing out a red flag as flames rose from the stricken Haas.

AS IT HAPPENED

Leclerc started on pole in a Ferrari front-row lockout ahead of Max Verstappen in his Red Bull.

Verstappen leapt past the two Ferrari cars on the run to the first corner, while his teammate Perez surged at the start after lining up in fifth.

Perez tried to get around the outside of Leclerc on the first corner to swoop into the top two, but the pair collided heavily, sending the Mexican flying through the air.

Perez limped back to the pits, while Leclerc – who had no opportunity to evade Perez given Verstappen was already tight up against his opposite side – managed to stay out in second position despite front wing damage.

The stricken Perez was distraught in the pits as his team tried in vain to repair the car and send him back out, only to retire a handful of laps later due to significant damage.

It came after expert Martin Brundle told Sky Sports about the struggling Perez before the race: “I think it’s one of the most important races of his career, not just his year. He needs to demonstrate to Red Bull that he’s the man to go forward with.”

Lando's ballsy move over resurgent Dan | 01:17

Daniel Ricciardo, who started an impressive fourth in his AlphaTauri, managed to retain that spot after the opening laps thanks to Perez’s disastrous start, lining up behind Verstappen and the two Ferrari drivers Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.

A virtual safety car was brought out after Leclerc’s carbon fibre front wing shed pieces all over the track.

But when the action restarted in earnest, Ricciardo was forced to defend desperately against the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton. He managed to hold off the multiple world champion for a handful of laps, but eventually lost fourth place on lap 11.

All drivers were struggling with the scorching temperatures in Mexico, battling with high tyre, brake, and engine temperatures – and forcing plenty of tactical management from the drivers.

“The tyres are giving up mate. There’s not much I can do,” Verstappen said on team radio on lap 19 before pitting, dropping to seventh before quickly getting past George Russell into sixth.

Despite the brutal conditions, Ferrari told Sainz on team radio that a one-stop strategy was still their best bet. Lewis Hamilton pitted after 25 laps in a bid to undercut Sainz. Ferrari did not respond immediately, instead extending Sainz’s first stint in a bid to have fresher tyres at the closing stages of the race.

Max Verstappen cruised past Daniel Ricciardo to claim third position, while Oscar Piastri pitted to drop to 10th and take on a set of the more durable hard compound tyres.

George Russell pitted shortly afterwards, but was disappointed to come back out on track in tenth – just behind Oscar Piastri.

Russell fumed: “Why have we pitted right behind Albon!? Surely we could have got past him!”

Piastri got past a pair of slower cars to get past Bottas and Alex Albon, while Ricciardo also pitted but returned to the fray in fifth – behind Carlos Sainz after the Ferrari star finally pitted after being overtaken by Verstappen on lap 29.

Charles Leclerc was the last of the contenders to pit, coming in after 32 laps, but managed to come out in second position, behind Verstappen but ahead of Lewis Hamilton.

Tsunoda BLOWS UP after Piastri scuffle | 01:37

Then in the 33rd lap, Kevin Magnussen had a massive crash, wiping out his Haas which also burst into flames, unsurprisingly bringing out a safety car.

Martin Brundle said in commentary: “Something broke there. Something broke on the car!”

It appeared to be a part of his right rear suspension, leaving Magnussen little more than a passenger at 225 km/h.

Verstappen pitted immediately but retained top spot, while Lando Norris also pitted – only for a red flag to come out and send all the drivers back to the pits.

“A standing start with a hard tyre, it’s going to be a huge mess,” Leclerc said after the restart was announced.

A host of drivers changed tyres – but ‘scrubbed’ or used tyres rather than fresh sets.

Verstappen and Leclerc went for hard tyres, while third-placed Hamilton opted mediums.

Ricciardo in fifth maintained his hard tyres while Piastri changed to mediums.

The restart saw the top four stay the same, but Ricciardo lost a place after contact with the Mercedes of George Russell, who had also got past Piastri in a rapid surge off the line to claim fifth.

The other McLaren of Lando Norris – who started the race 17th but rose to 10th before the restart – had a disastrous restart, losing four places in the run to the first corner.

Piastri praised for letting Norris pass | 01:04

Hamilton – with the faster mediums than Leclerc – desperately tried to get past him in the first laps after the resumption of action, and finally got it done into turn one on lap 40 with a sensational overtake to claim second spot.

Meanwhile Piastri was in a hot battle with Yuki Tsunoda behind him, as the Aussie traded seventh place back and forth with the second AlphaTauri.

Oscar Piastri was struggling on his medium tyres and on lap 48 Tsunoda tried another overtake, leading to contact between the two that left Piastri dancing across the grass and lucky not to spin.

The very next lap, they came together again, this time with Tsunoda spinning out and dropping all the way to 16th.

Tsunoda roared: “F*** man!”

That saw Lando Norris move up into eighth behind his Aussie teammate, with the Brit having had a wild race. Norris started in 17th, climbed to 10th before the restart, dropped to 14th after the restart, and then charged up the field once again!

His pace was clearly better than Piastri’s, and on lap 56 the team swapped the two drivers to allow Norris to hunt down Ricciardo in the closing stages.

Ricciardo fought desperately to hold on against Norris, the pair even making contact, but Norris pulled off a brilliant overtake in a sensational display of hard-but-fair racing.

Norris then capped off his sublime drive - arguably his best-ever in F1 - by getting past Russell for P5, having risen 12 places in the race.

Ricciardo even made a late bid to overtake the Mercedes of George Russell, fighting him right until the final line.