F1 Mexican Grand Prix 2022 live: Highlights and analysis as Max Verstappen bids to break wins record in Mexico City

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Max Verstappen held off the challenge of Mercedes to claim pole position for Sunday’s Mexican Grand Prix.

The newly crowned back-to-back world champion produced a fine final flying lap to finish ahead of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, who had led the way in the final practice session.

Russell said afterwards he felt he had let down his team with a “terrible lap”, saying: “I felt like it was our pole to have.”

Verstappen’s first pole in Mexico City stands him in a strong position to win his 14th grand prix of the season and break the record for the most race wins in a single campaign.

F1 Mexican Grand Prix 2022 live updates, highlights from Mexico City: As it happens

Lap 41: Verstappen has now gained more than half a second on Hamilton in each of the last three laps.

Lap 40: Sebastian Vettel finally changes from soft tyres, having spent 40 laps on them. Some achievement. Perez is doing best with the mediums right now, with Mercedes having a think about their hard tyres and Verstappen on quick compounds.

Lap 39: Verstappen is getting away from Hamilton, establishing a lead of more than eight seconds. The Briton tells his team what he thinks of his tyres.

Lap 37: Perez senior is a picture of concentration. You wouldn’t want to have to explain a reckless spin to him.

Lap 36: Gasly still hasn’t stopped to sustain that five-second time penalty he picked up earlier. Perez flies round with a fastest lap, receiving a euphoric reception from the rafters.

Lap 35: Verstappen retakes the lead! He’s seeking a record 14th win in a season today and takes advantage as Russell comes in to receive hard tyres.

Lap 34: Russell wants to change to softs but is discouraged from doing so by Mercedes. Alonso is much happier with his tyres than most, suggesting that he’s comfortable whatever the selection.

Lap 32: Lando Norris makes the same switch as Hamilton, opting for hard compounds as he heads in for a pit stop. Fans in Mexico shirts in the stands are vigorously roaring Perez on, as ever.

Lap 31: Hamilton’s pit means that Russell takes top spot, but he’s yet to pit. Verstappen and Perez after either side of third-placed Hamilton.

Lap 30: Now it’s Hamilton’s turn to pit after he voices concerns about his mediums. Mercedes switch him to hard compounds.

Lap 28: Verstappen isn’t at all happy with his gear shifts. Hamilton is a almost five-and-a-half seconds ahead of Russell in first place.

Lap 27: One of the loudest roars of the race goes up as Perez overhauls Leclerc to take P5! Seventh time lucky for the Mexican here today? It’s looking a long shot but he’s after Sainz next.

Lap 26: That means Hamilton now leads ahead of Russell. Here’s that Verstappen pit, which Red Bull should be satisfied with.

Lap 25: Verstappen says his tyre is “dead”, while there’s a collector’s item as Hamilton and his team agree that his medium tyres are OK. Then Verstappen pits successfully, returning ahead of Sainz in third.

Lap 23: Verstappen warns that his front-left tyre “doesn’t want to turn”. Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull are all yet to pit.

Lap 22: A pit stop looks imminent for Verstappen, who’s just informed his team that his soft tyres are struggling. The tactical battle we expected is developing nicely.

Lap 21: If Bottas’ chat earlier suggested he had two plans of attack coming into this race, Leclerc evidently has more tricks up his sleeve: he asks his team for Plan C over the radio. That’s a new one.

Lap 19: Ferrari frustration: Leclerc is warned off going for broke after telling his team that they have “nothing to lose”.

Lap 18: Hopefully this will cheer Stroll up after his eventful struggle of a start to this race.

Lap 17: Pierre Gasly is going to cop a five-second time penalty for forcing Stroll off the track while trying to make his way past him. He’s in P15.

Lap 15: It’s not been a great weekend for Ferrari and their duo are nowhere to be seen so far. Sainz, in fifth, is two seconds clear of Charles Leclerc.

Lap 14: Hamilton keeps ticking over with the fastest laps. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll is not happy, telling his team that he is “sliding everywhere” and has “no f***ing grip” down in P15. Medium to soft switch on the cards?

Lap 13: Hamilton keeps ticking over with the fastest laps. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll is not happy, telling his team that he is “sliding everywhere” and has “no f***ing grip” down in P15.

Lap 12: Tyres update: Mercedes have mentioned that Perez is finding his rears tricky. A reminder: the home hero started on softs today.

Lap 10: Here’s how it looks so far as Verstappen maintains a lead of around 1.5 seconds on Hamilton, who is whipping round this circuit in pursuit of a potential first win of the season.

Lap 9: There’s been quite a battle between Zhou Guanyu and Daniel Ricciardo for P12, with the McLaren driver twice trying to overtake him. This time he secured DRS and overtakes his Alfa Romeo rival.

Poor Kevin Magnussen, who was having trouble before the race, is last at the moment. Mick Schumacher’s two places ahead of him. A forgettable one for Haas.

Lap 7: The gap between Russell and the top two is widening. It’s still Verstappen, Hamilton, Perez and Russell making up the top four, with Carlos Sainz in fifth.

Lap 6: Perez is pesky for Mercedes in the battle with Red Bull, preventing them from ganging up on Verstappen.

Lap 5: Interesting to overhear the instructions being given to Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas in eighth. They’re telling the Finn that he’s in a strong position and advising him to stick to whatever their original pre-race plan was.

Lap 3: Hamilton takes about 0.3 seconds off Verstappen’s lead with the fastest lap of the race so far, reducing it to 1.2 seconds.

Perez remains third. Fernando Alonso, who didn’t sound terribly optimistic before the race, has moved up two places to seventh.

Lap 1: Kudos to Verstappen, who has the rare distinction of holding the lead from pole around Turn One in Mexico.

Hamilton, in second, leads Russell but it’s all about Perez for most of the fans, who respond in kind as their man makes a strong start by taking Russell’s spot in third!

5 mins until lights out: Verstappen starts on soft tyres. Russell and Hamilton are on mediums, which means they should be able to last longer before taking a pit stop. Intriguing.

A man with a colourful skull for a head is waving the drivers on ahead of the formation lap.

10 mins until lights out: Ever wanted to know what rapper Will.i.am thinks of Formula One? He’s down there with the drivers and has just been interviewed before a cherubic choir belts out the national anthem.

“I love engineering,” explains Will. “I love technology. This is the most exciting, most exhilarating sport there is.”

Asked about the connection between music and F1, he explains: “For this sport, there’s an opportunity to create something so much more than the world has seen. Just look at this energy here.”

20 mins until lights out: “We’ve been having some problems with the brakes,” McLaren’s Lando Norris tells Sky Sports, looking a little pensive.

“I don’t know why, they’re quite warped. It’s not ideal; it doesn’t give me a little confidence coming into the race. We’ll try to deal with it – hopefully it goes away a little bit.”

30 mins until lights out: There’s been a bit of drama already, with Kevin Magnussen suspecting that there is a problem with the gearbox or suspension on his car. His team, Haas, think it is likely to be the former.

There are dancers in colourful costumes performing around the toasty tarmac right now. Not long until Verstappen attempts to become the first driver to start in pole and finish on the podium here in five races.

45 mins until lights out: “It’s amazing to have – not many drivers get to experience this in their country,” Perez told Sky Sports News about his fans. “If there’s one race where you want to be perfect, it’s this one. We will try everything to make it happen.”

Asked whether Verstappen could help him achieve the dream, Perez said: “I’m not thinking here that I need Max – I want to do it on my own. But I’m sure that if there is the opportunity, why not?”

1hr until lights out: “It’s really exciting to see the progress we’re making as a team,” said Mercedes’ George Russell after qualifying.

“We’ve seen our car performance fluctuate pretty substantially across the course of this season and this is certainly a circuit that probably suits our car characteristics – and because of the altitude, the drag is less penalising.”

1hr 15 mins until lights out: Perez led the Grand Prix last year and is on his home track for a seventh Formula One race tonight. History in the making?

1hr 30 mins until lights out: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News’ live coverage of the 2022 Mexican Grand Prix.

Will Max Verstappen earn a third successive win to make it a record 14 for the season? Can Lewis Hamilton win his first race of the campaign? Or might Sergio Perez become the first home racer to do the business in Mexico? We’re about to find out. Stay tuned!

Mexican Grand Prix 2022 provisional starting grid

Position Driver
1 Max Verstappen
2 George Russell
3 Lewis Hamilton
4 Sergio Perez
5 Carlos Sainz
6 Valtteri Bottas
7 Charles Leclerc
8 Lando Norris
9 Fernando Alonso
10 Esteban Ocon
11 Daniel Ricciardo
12 Zhou Guanyu
13 Yuki Tsunoda
14 Pierre Gasly
15 Kevin Magnussen*
16 Mick Schumacher
17 Sebastian Vettel
18 Lance Stroll*
19 Alex Albon
20 Nicholas Latifi

*Stroll penalised three grid places for causing a collision in previous round. Magnussen penalised five grid places for use of additional power unit elements.

 

What time does the F1 race start?

  • Date: Sunday, Oct. 30
  • Start time: 4 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. GMT (2 p.m. local time)

Sunday’s 2022 Mexican Grand Prix is set to start at 2 p.m. local time. ESPN’s prerace show typically airs in the hour before the start of the race.

Below is the complete TV schedule for the weekend’s F1 events at the United States Grand Prix. 

Date Event Time (ET) Time (BST)  TV channel
Friday, Oct. 28 Practice 1 2 p.m. 7 p.m ESPN2
Friday, Oct. 28 Practice 2 5 p.m. 10 p.m ESPNews
Saturday, Oct. 29 Practice 3 1 p.m. 6 p.m ESPNews
Saturday, Oct. 29 Qualifying 4 p.m. 9 p.m ESPNews
Sunday, Oct. 30 Race 4 p.m. 8 p.m ESPN

Formula 1 live stream for the Mexican Grand Prix

For those who don’t have a cable or satellite subscription, five major OTT TV streaming options carry the ESPN networks — fuboTV, Sling, Hulu, YouTubeTV and DirecTV Stream. 

For those who do have a cable or satellite subscription but won’t be in front of a TV, Formula 1 races in 2022 can be streamed live via phones, tablets and other devices on the ESPN app with authentication.

Formula 1 schedule 2022

There are 22 scheduled events on the F1 docket for 2022, one race shy of tying the mark for longest F1 calendar.

The season started in Bahrain on March 20 and will end with the customary Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, although a bit earlier than usual, in November. This will be the earliest end of the Formula 1 season since it ended on Nov. 4 in 2013.

The Canadian and Japanese races, both of which were cancelled in 2021 amid fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, returned to the roster. 

The calendar featured the maiden voyage for the Miami Grand Prix, the first of two races in the United States in 2022, with the customary United States GP taking place in October.

The Russian Grand Prix, originally scheduled for Sept. 25, was cancelled because of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Date Race Track Start time TV channel Winner (Team)
March 20 Bahrain Grand Prix Bahrain International Circuit 11 a.m. ESPN Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
March 27 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Jeddah Street Circuit 1 p.m. ESPN Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
April 10 Australian Grand Prix Albert Park Circuit 1 a.m. ESPN Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
April 24 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Imola Circuit 9 a.m. ESPN Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
May 8 Miami Grand Prix Miami International Autodrome 3:30 p.m. ABC Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
May 22 Spanish Grand Prix Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya 9 a.m. ESPN2 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
May 29 Monaco Grand Prix Circuit de Monaco 9 a.m. ESPN Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
June 12 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Baku City Circuit 7 a.m. ESPN Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
June 19 Canadian Grand Prix Circuit Gillies-Villenueve 2 p.m. ABC Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
July 3 British Grand Prix Silverstone Circuit 10 a.m. ESPN Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
July 10 Austrian Grand Prix Red Bull Ring 9 a.m. ESPN Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
July 24 French Grand Prix Circuit Paul Ricard 9 a.m. ESPN Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
July 31 Hungarian Grand Prix Hungaroring 9 a.m. ESPN Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
Aug. 28 Belgian Grand Prix Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps 9 a.m. ESPN Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
Sept. 4 Dutch Grand Prix Circuit Zandvoort 9 a.m. ESPN Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
Sept. 11 Italian Grand Prix Autodromo Nazionale Monza 9 a.m. ESPN Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
Oct. 2 Singapore Grand Prix Marina Bay Street Circuit 8 a.m. ESPN Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
Oct. 9 Japanese Grand Prix Suzuka International Racing Course 1 a.m. ESPN Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 
Oct. 23 United States Grand Prix Circuit of the Americas 3 p.m. ABC Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
Oct. 30 Mexico City Grand Prix Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez 4 p.m. ESPN TBD
Nov. 13 Sao Paulo Grand Prix Interlagos Circuit 2 p.m. TBD TBD
Nov. 20 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Yas Marina Circuit 8 a.m. TBD TBD

What channel is the F1 race on?

  • Race: Mexican Grand Prix
  • Date: Sunday, Oct. 30
  • TV channel: ESPN/ABC
  • Live stream: fuboTV

The ESPN family of networks will broadcast all 2022 F1 races in the United States using Sky Sports’ feed, with select races airing on ABC. You can also stream Formula 1 races live in the U.S. with fuboTV, which offers a free trial.

ESPN Deportes serves as the exclusive Spanish-language home for all 2022 F1 races in the U.S.

How to watch Formula 1 in Canada

  • TV channel: TSN (English); RDS (French)
  • Live stream: TSN Direct

For fans in Canada, TSN will carry the English-language telecast of races. For those looking for the French-language broadcast, RDS will have you covered.

Races can also be streamed via TSN’s streaming service, TSN Direct.

How to watch Formula 1 in the United Kingdom

  • TV channel: Sky Sports F1
  • Live stream: NOW TV / Sky Go app

Viewers in the United Kingdom can catch all F1 action on Sky Sports F1, the dedicated F1 channel. For viewers planning to live stream F1 in 2022, you can watch via the Sky Go app if you’re an existing subscriber or you can purchase a Sky Sports Pass on NOW TV.

How to watch Formula 1 in Australia

  • TV channel: Fox Sports; Channel 10
  • Live stream: Kayo

Fox Sports will carry all races in Australia, with Channel 10 broadcasting the United States GP.

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