Overview
- Race control in Mexico declined to penalize Max Verstappen for cutting the grass at Turn 1 while issuing Lewis Hamilton a 10‑second penalty for a separate off‑track gain, drawing complaints from George Russell, Hamilton and Fernando Alonso as Martin Brundle described the Verstappen call as a gray area but backed Hamilton’s sanction.
- Red Bull confirmed it will wait until Abu Dhabi to name Verstappen’s 2026 teammate as it assesses Yuki Tsunoda, Liam Lawson, Isack Hadjar and fast‑rising prospect Arvid Lindblad after uneven recent form.
- Aston Martin is investing heavily for 2026 with a new wind tunnel, an advanced simulator and Honda power, as Adrian Newey warns that limited testing pushes teams toward simulation‑led choices that carry uncertainty and require tight integration across aero, mechanical and vehicle‑dynamics groups.
- The fight for sixth in the constructors’ standings remains tight—Racing Bulls 72 points, Aston Martin 69, Haas 62 and Sauber 60—with Sauber’s Jonathan Wheatley insisting the squad cannot afford a weak weekend heading into Brazil’s sprint event.
- Carlos Sainz’s late incident prompted a Virtual Safety Car that influenced the closing laps, with Helmut Marko calling it a parting gift to Ferrari and Sainz saying he tried to place the car safely to avoid a caution.