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Max Verstappen won the 2022 F1 Mexican GP and became a four-time winner of the track. He also broke the record for winning the most races in a season. Overall, as predicted by us, the race was a bit of a dud as wheel-to-wheel-to-action was almost non-existent. The strategy was king as a lack of overtaking opportunities gave some teams opportunities to run different tire strategies to great effect.
It's safe to say that some will be going home with a smile across their faces while others will have a sour taste in their mouth. Who are they? Let's find out as we take a look at the winners and losers of the 2022 F1 Mexican GP.
2022 F1 Mexican GP (Winners and Losers)
Winner
Max Verstappen
14 wins this season! That stat should tell you how ridiculously dominant Max Verstappen has been this season. Looking back at the weekend, it's almost hard to pinpoint a moment where he messed up or made a mistake. Max Verstappen was flawless on a weekend where he was supposed to embark on his biggest challenge against an old nemesis. However, Max Verstappen extracted the maximum from the 2022 F1 Mexican GP.
Loser
Lewis Hamilton
After looking at that race, you just have to ask one question. Where is the fire? The 2022 F1 Mexican GP was the best possible chance for Lewis Hamilton to win a race this season. However, the intent was missing from the get-go. The strategic decisions could be blamed on the team but the lack of questioning has been a feature of Lewis Hamilton's racing in the last few years.
If hard tires did not work, instead of demanding his team to try something else, Hamilton just brought the car home and added another podium. There's been a lack of hunger and fire from Lewis when it comes to fighting for wins this season. It was apparent in his somewhat toothless defense against Max at Austin as well. This was a win that Hamilton let slip away at the 2022 F1 Mexican GP. The earlier he realizes it, the better.
Winner
Red Bull
Red Bull was not a comfortably quicker car at the 2022 F1 Mexican GP. The car was all over the place until Q3 of the F1 Mexican GP Qualifying. Until that point, it was not looking good. Sure, a lot of credit goes to the way both Max and Perez drove but credit should go to the team as well. The 2022 F1 Mexican GP showed that it does not only have the best car designer and the best driver on the grid, but it also has the best strategy unit as well. It must be emphasized how big a role they played in helping the team win this one.
Loser
Mercedes
Mercedes has gotten into a habit of coming up with excuses for every race they should have won. We've been hearing this from the team all season long - how Lewis or Russell could have won if the 'XYZ' thing had not happened.
Mercedes lost the 2022 F1 Mexican GP as much as Red Bull won it. The team's strategic choice to use a stint on hard tires when there was next to no chance of it working was a bit of a question mark and by the end of the race, it became clear this was not the right choice. The team was neither desperate nor daring enough to pull off a win. Sadly, you don't beat Red Bull by being safe.
Winner
Daniel Ricciardo/McLaren
Daniel Ricciardo turned back the clock during the 2022 F1 Mexican GP with the way he raced through the field and made the soft tires work for him. The credit for that strategy not only goes to the Australian but the team too. McLaren saw how Lando Norris' stint with hard tires was proving to be a complete disaster.
What we got as a result of that strategy was a Ricciardo that was fun to watch. This was a version of him that we have been missing for a long time and it was nice to see him back. A well-earned P7 for the Australian.
Loser
2022 F1 Mexican GP/FIA
The race in Mexico saw its contract extended and it would be great to see the track getting an extended run. There are however serious concerns over the longevity of the event. The action during the race was woeful as wheel-to-wheel action was non-existent. Overtaking was at a premium and tire degradation was non-existent. If this trend continues, the race might not be around for too long beyond the current contract.
Now, coming to the FIA, Carlos Sainz had made a point earlier in the weekend that the Stewards went a bit soft with George Russell in Austin. At the 2022 F1 Mexican GP, the stewarding was once again all over the place. A 5-second penalty for shoving a driver off the track and gaining a position(for Gasly) was something that sets a precedence for drivers to push the driver off the track and gain positions.
Similarly, ending the other driver's race by colliding with them should cost more than 10 seconds(given to Ricciardo) even though the precedence is already there(Hamilton's clash with Verstappen in Silverstone in 2021 yielded the same). The race stewards and direction do sometimes leave a lot to be desired these days and this weekend was an exhibition of just that.
