The F1 weekend reaches its climax in Mexico City tonight with Lando Norris set to continue his rivalry with Max Verstappen following the highly contentious battle in Austin.
Verstappen has won five of the last six races at Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez and will be aiming to edge one step closer to a fourth world championship title.
Charles Leclerc produced a sensational drive to claim victory at the US Grand Prix with Ferrari impressing with a one-two thanks to Carlos Sainz. The Scuderia are contending a fierce battle with McLaren and Red Bull for the constructors’ championship, with qualifying set to be vital here. Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes will bid to banish a nightmare weekend last time out in Texas.
Follow live updates from the Mexican Grand Prix with The Independent:
F1 MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX - LATEST UPDATES
- Race in Mexico City starts at 8pm BST
- Carlos Sainz sits on pole following Saturday’s qualifying
- Max Verstappen and Lando Norris go toe-to-toe in the world title battle
- Sergio Perez is under pressure and fights for his seat at Red Bull in front of home fans
How can I watch it online and on TV?
16:30
Mike Jones
The Mexico City Grand Prix will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom - and ESPN in the United States. Sky’s coverage of Sunday’s race starts at 6:30pm (GMT).
You can watch highlights on free-to-air Channel 4 at 8:30am (GMT) on Sunday morning for qualifying and 12:30am on Monday morning for the race.
Sky Sports subscribers can watch all the action in Mexico City on the Sky Go app. If you’re not a Sky customer you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.
If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch the Mexico Grand Prix then you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help: get great deals on the best VPNs in the market.
When is the Mexico City Grand Prix?
16:20
Mike Jones
Sunday 27 October
- Race: 8pm (GMT) - Coverage starts on Sky Sports at 6.30pm
Starting positions for Mexico Grand Prix
16:10
Mike Jones
What is the starting grid?
- Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
- Max Verstappen, Red Bull
- Lando Norris, McLaren
- Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
- George Russell, Mercedes
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
- Kevin Magnussen, Haas
- Pierre Gasly, Alpine
- Alex Albon, Williams
- Nico Hülkenberg, Haas
- Yuki Tsunoda, RB
- Liam Lawson, RB
- Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin
- Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
- Valtteri Bottas, Sauber
- Franco Colapinto, Williams
- Oscar Piastri, McLaren
- Sergio Perez, Red Bull
- Esteban Ocon, Alpine
- Zhou Guanyu, Sauber
F1 2025 grid: Who are the drivers racing next season?
16:00
Chris Wilson
The 2025 F1 season starts on Sunday 16 March at Albert Park in Australia.
It will be another 24-race season and there will be no new races in the calendar. However, there are a host of new drivers at fresh teams.
The biggest change is of course Lewis Hamilton’s mega-move to Ferrari, with Italian teen Kimi Antonelli replacing Hamilton at Mercedes. Carlos Sainz has joined Alex Albon at Williams.
British teenager Ollie Bearman has been promoted to a race seat at Haas, with Esteban Ocon partnering him having left Alpine. Jack Doohan has taken Ocon’s place while at Sauber, Nico Hulkenberg has taken one seat with the second yet to be confirmed.
F1 Driver Standings
15:30
Chris Wilson
A reminder of how the top of the driver standings looks as we approach the start of the Mexico GP.
1 - Max Verstappen - 354pts
2 - Lando Norris - 297pts
3 - Charles Leclerc - 275pts
4 - Oscar Piastri - 247pts
5 - Carlos Sainz - 215pts
‘I’m losing all the time’ says Hamilton
15:30
Mike Jones
“I’m losing all the time, that’s why I’ve been so bad in qualifying all year, it’s a normal thing, I’m used to it,” Lewis Hamilton told Sky Sports after qualifying on Saturday evening.
“It doesn’t feel like it [gives me potential], we’ve done everything, we’ve worked so hard in the background, like everybody does, to get the car in a nice place, it was feeling good in P3, let’s not touch anything, all we changed was just the rear wing.
“It’s a drastic difference, every time I get to qualifying the car is completely different, I can’t pinpoint why, it is what it is, I hope I can strike a balance tomorrow.
“There’s so much to play for tomorrow, I’ll try and do a good job.”
Lewis Hamilton reveals biggest frustration after latest F1 setback: ‘I’m losing all the time’
15:00
Chris Wilson
Lewis Hamilton was left frustrated after another F1 setback as the Mercedes driver finished sixth in qualifying for the Mexico City Grand Prix.
The Briton failed to hide his emotions after Q3, which included a costly spin on the penultimate corner, ensuring teammate George Russell has now bettered him in qualifying 15 times out of 20.
And Hamilton, who will join Ferrari for the 2025 season, cut a dejected figure following what he described as a “drastic” regression in performance over the course of practice and qualifying.
Max Verstappen qualifies ahead of Lando Norris but ‘question marks’ set up Mexico City thriller
14:30
Chris Wilson
Max Verstappen edged out title rival Lando Norris as Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz claimed pole position at the Mexico Grand Prix.
Norris trails Verstappen by 57 points in the drivers’ championship with five races remaining and 146 points up for grabs and needs to start making major inroads into the Dutchman’s advantage.
McLaren failed in their bid to overturn Norris’s controversial penalty which demoted him behind Verstappen in Austin, Texas, last weekend – a result the British driver labelled a “momentum killer” in his pursuit of a maiden title.
Lando Norris makes admission in F1 title fight with Max Verstappen: ‘It’s a shame but it’s the truth’
14:00
Chris Wilson
Lando Norris has admitted he is “not quite” at Max Verstappen’s “level” during this critical juncture in the Formula 1 title race.
Norris had two chances to narrow the gap to title leader Verstappen last weekend, in Saturday’s US Grand Prix sprint race and in Sunday’s standard race.
Red Bull’s Verstappen started on pole in the sprint and converted for a win, while McLaren’s Norris dropped from second to third. Then, on Sunday, Norris dropped from pole to fourth, while Verstappen fell from second to third.
“Max is the best in the world in this style of defence and attacking,” Norris said via the BBC. “So, I have to be at his level.”
McLaren lose bid to have Lando Norris penalty overturned following Max Verstappen incident
13:30
Chris Wilson
McLaren have failed in their bid to overturn Lando Norris’ penalty from the United States Grand Prix.
The team invoked a “right of review”, asking the stewards to look again at the turn 12 incident in Austin, where Norris was handed a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining a lasting advantage while overtaking Max Verstappen in the closing stages.
That demoted the British driver below his title rival as the Dutchman extended his championship lead to 57 points.
Sergio Perez’s F1 clock is ticking – and impact on Mexico Grand Prix future could be huge
13:00
Chris Wilson
It is difficult to remember the last time Sergio Perez’s seat at Red Bull was not under intense scrutiny and pressure. Perhaps at the start of this season, after four podiums in the first five races, and with the stance of Christian Horner’s juggernaut as the sport’s No 1 outfit on track in no doubt at all. Now though, the sands have shifted.
With five races left in 2024, Red Bull are second in the constructors’ championship: 40 points off McLaren in first but just eight points ahead of Ferrari in third. Max Verstappen, chasing a fourth-straight drivers’ title, has accrued over 70% of Red Bull’s points himself. Perez, however, is a mammoth 204 points behind his teammate, languishing eighth in the individual table.
It is, by far, the biggest margin between teammates in the sport. Yet still, the 34-year-old remains in his post ahead of his home race in Mexico City this weekend. His 2021 podium at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, with his adoring father watching on, is undoubtedly a career highlight.
F1 2024 race schedule: Start time and how to watch Mexico Grand Prix
12:30
Chris Wilson
A reminder of how you can watch tonight’s race...
The Mexico City Grand Prix will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom - and ESPN in the United States. Sky’s coverage of Sunday’s race starts at 6:30pm (BST).
You can watch highlights on free-to-air Channel 4 at 8:30am (BST) on Sunday morning for qualifying and 12:30am on Monday morning for the race.
Sky Sports subscribers can watch all the action in Mexico City on the Sky Go app. If you’re not a Sky customer you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.
F1 grid: Starting positions for Mexico Grand Prix
12:01
Karl Matchett
F1 rolls around to Mexico City next as the Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez plays host to the Mexican Grand Prix and round 20 of the 2024 season.
Charles Leclerc won an action-packed US Grand Prix on Sunday, leading home a Ferrari one-two on a memorable day for the Scuderia in Austin.
The main talking point was the highly contentious battle between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, with the McLaren driver coming off second-best and demoted to fourth after a penalty. Alongside his sprint race victory, it means Verstappen extended his lead to Norris in the world championship to 57 points with five rounds remaining.
