Race recap: Sainz gets 'one more win' with Ferrari as Norris gets the better of Verstappen following title rival battle in Mexico City

Ferrari was back on top in Mexico City, for the second consecutive weekend as Carlos Sainz delighted fans with a dominant Pole and victory around the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. Just behind the Spaniard, however, the action was unfolding as the battle between F1's two title rivals heated up, with Norris and Verstappen going wheel-to-wheel once again. Penalties followed for Verstappen, which saw the defending champion plunge down to sixth, while Norris found his 12th podium of the season, finishing in front of Leclerc, who ended up third. As for Verstappen's teammate, Perez, the home race hero had a miserable weekend, adding to Red Bull's woes as the team continues to slip down the constructors' standings. Here's all the highlights and what we learned from the Mexico City Grand Prix.

Sainz scoops 'one more win' with Ferrari on fine form 

After starting the race on Pole and keeping clear of the chaos that erupted from the opening moments onwards, Carlos Sainz emerged victorious to a sea of adoring fans in Mexico City.

Racking up his second victory of the season, Sainz continues Ferrari's winning streak, following he and his teammate Charles Leclerc's one-two victory in Austin. 

"Gracias Mexico!" said Sainz after the race, smiling. "It's incredible to see this crowd, I've been feeling their support all week. I feel like I have a lot of fanbase here in Mexico and they gave me a lot of strength to do the weekend that I've done. 

"I really wanted this one, I really needed it also for myself – I wanted to get it done," said Sainz after the race. "I've been saying for a while I wanted one more win before leaving Ferrari and to do it here in front of this mega crowd is incredible." 

Before Mexico City, Sainz already had three previous career wins to his name, but this is the first time he has won twice in a single season, following Australia earlier this year. 

"Now, four races left [before moving to Williams], I want to enjoy as much as possible and if another one comes, I will go for it!" 

As for his teammate Leclerc, the Monegasque driver didn't enjoy the race in quite the same way but still landed on the podium with a P3. 

"The whole weekend I've been a little bit on the back foot, so third place was the best we could achieve on my side today," reasoned Leclerc after the race. "[It was an] amazing race by Carlos today, and it's a good weekend overall for the team, which is positive." 

With another big points haul this weekend, Ferrari moves above Red Bull, up to second in the constructors' standings, just 29 points behind leaders McLaren. 

"We are working super well as a team," said Leclerc. "I think it's been quite a few races now that we're coming back to the level we should be at. It's amazing to see. 

"Obviously the constructors' is still our target and with weekends like this we are getting closer to it. I hope we can continue in that direction and get that constructors' title, which is very important."

SEE ALSO: SAINZ TO WILLIAMS: WHAT'S BEHIND THE MOVE? 

Norris comes out on top as title rivals battle again

Once again, hot on the heels of a heated race in Austin, both McLaren's Lando Norris and Max Verstappen locked horns in dramatic fashion around Mexico's Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. 

The pair went wheel-to-wheel around the outside of Turn 4 on Lap 10, as Norris was forced wide by the reigning world champion. Shortly after, the Brit cut the grass at Turn 5 and re-joined ahead of Verstappen, before the Dutchman attempted to re-gain the position down the inside of Turn 8. 

As both Verstappen and Norris went wide through the run-off, Charles Leclerc slipped through while the stewards investigated both Norris and Verstappen's off-track outings.

Finding Verstappen at fault for both, the Red Bull driver was hit with two 10-second time penalties, which he served in the pits, while Norris continued, finishing the race second. 

"I knew what to expect," said the Brit on his battle with Verstappen, after the race. "This is not very clean driving in my opinion. But I avoided it and it was a good race." 

Continuing to chip away at Verstappen's championship lead, Norris is just 47 points behind the Dutchman after Mexico City. With 12 podiums to his name this season, Norris appears to be enjoying his time near the top, with the idea of his first championship title never far from his mind.

"I just keep my head down, you know. I'm doing my best. We're doing a very good job as a team," he said after the race. 

"I think today we were probably the quickest in the end. But we'll keep our head down, that's all I can do for now, focus on ourselves, and we'll keep pushing."

While Verstappen's hit with two 10-second time penalties 

Two 10-second time penalties plighted Max Verstappen's race in Mexico City, shunting the Dutch driver down to 6th overall. 

The reigning champion held the lead at the beginning of the race, before Carlos Sainz stole it back on Lap 9, pushing Verstappen into the path of his greatest rival, Lando Norris, who was challenging for second. 

Attempting to pass at Turn 4, Norris was forced wide by Verstappen, cutting across the grass in the process, while both drivers had an off-track moment into Turn 8, leaving the door open for Charles Leclerc to sweep past. 

Handed his first 10-second time penalty for forcing Norris off the track at Turn 4, Verstappen was then hit with another a few laps later for leaving the track and gaining an advantage at Turn 8, bringing his total up to 20 seconds, served during his pit stop. 

"That was also honestly not my biggest problem of the race, my biggest problem was that we just had no pace," said Verstappen after the race. "Just struggling a lot on the tyres, couldn't really attack, and I couldn't follow Ferrari and McLaren." 

For much of the season, Verstappen has remarked on his car's lack of competitiveness, as he and Red Bull's grip on the two championship titles continues to slip. 

Verstappen still leads the drivers' standings, albeit with just 47 points between him and Lando Norris. For the team, the result in Mexico sees Red Bull slip further down the constructors' championship, with Ferrari moving into second place with just four races remaining.

Scuff sets home race hero Perez back in Mexico City

Following a difficult qualifying, which saw Perez line up 18th on the grid for his home race, things would only go from bad to worse for the Mexican Red Bull driver. 

As the lights went out, Perez was deemed to have done a false start, landing him a five-second time penalty in the opening stages of the race. 

Keeping his head high, the Mexican battled through the traffic, edging closer towards the points, where he battled with RB driver Liam Lawson for P10. After getting ahead in Turn 4, Perez was forced wide by Lawson, with the pair continuing to duel through Turn 5. 

Picking up damage to his sidepod after a scuff with Lawson's wheel, Perez struggled for the rest of the race, ending up 17th overall. 

"He took the whole side of the car off, but I don't think it's his fault because he doesn't get any penalty," complained Perez after the race. 

"He did the same to Fernando [Alonso] last weekend, he did the same to Franco [Colapinto] at the end of the race and no penalty, so maybe depends who you are [in terms of] the penalty you get. 

"I was ahead, there was no need to come together at that point. It was Lap 11 of the race, just compromising our race, both of us. I don't think it was a very clever move." 

The incident followed a big smash for Yuki Tsunoda, who slammed into the barriers after catching the wheel of Williams' Alex Albon in the pack, on the start straight, just seconds after the lights went out.

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The thrilling 2024 season is coming to an end, with just four races remaining this year. Don't worry though, 2025's just around the corner, and tickets for July's British Grand Prix are on sale now.