--- title: "Mexico City F1 GP: Verstappen Wins, Perez Crashes, Hamilton Brings the Heat" description: "Sergio Perez crashed out of the 2023 F1 Mexico grand prix, his hometown race, during the beginning of the first lap." date: "2023-10-29" modified: "2023-10-29" authors: - name: "Nico DeMattia" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/nico-demattia" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/mexico-city-f1-gp-verstappen-wins-perez-crashes-hamilton-brings-the-heat" categories: - "F1" - "News" - "Racing" --- # Mexico City F1 GP: Verstappen Wins, Perez Crashes, Hamilton Brings the Heat ![]() *Getty* Red Bull's Sergio Perez had a rough weekend, despite the 2023 Formula 1 [Mexico]() Grand Prix being his hometown race. Prior to the race, [Perez]() had a less-than-ideal qualifying, finishing in fifth behind AlphaTauri's Daniel Ricciardo, who hadn't raced in weeks, following a broken hand suffered in the Dutch grand prix. Then, in the opening lap, Perez collided with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc—who started on pole—putting him out of the race just as it started. By the race's halfway mark, around half of the crowd had already left, as they'd been there to watch Perez race. What was left of the crowd booed Leclerc, who finished third, after the race. ![]() **Sergio Perez crashed in the beginning of the first lap* | *Getty** “A lot of booing. Guys, I had nowhere to go. I was between the two Red Bulls and unfortunately I touched Checo but I had nowhere to go, It’s life. It damaged my car and it ended the race of Checo," said Leclerc following the race, per [*The Guardian*](). “Of course I didn’t mean to end the race of Checo like that, but I didn’t do it on purpose.” A disappointed Perez took most of the blame for the crash. “I had a tremendous start. I just went for it. I wasn’t expecting Charles to be there. There was no room for three cars. It was a total race incident. I went totally for it. I am really sad. I gave it my all. I have no doubts I will be back for Sao Paulo," he said. Perez wasn't the only driver to crash out of the race, though. Haas' Kevin Magnussen crashed into the barrier and his car ended up catching fire. Thankfully, Magnussen was uninjured but he left the race halfway through. However, Magnussen's crash caused a red flag, temporarily pausing the race and forcing drivers to restart on worn, cold tires. A few laps later, McLaren's Oscar Piastri and AlphaTauri's Yuki Tsunoda collided, causing the latter to drop to 16th place, ruining his race. ![]() **Getty** Toward the end of the race, it came down to Leclerc in third, chasing a second-place Lewis Hamilton who brought the heat. Hamilton had an impressive drive, starting from sixth on the grid and finishing second, after holding off a the third-place Leclerc while trying catch Red Bull's Max Verstappen, and manage engine temperature. Verstappen was miles ahead of Hamilton, though, with whopping 13second lead at one point. As per usual, Verstappen won the Mexico Grand Prix, marking his 16th victory this season and adding to his already championship-clinching points total for the year. Verstappen has 491 points in the drivers' standings, while the second-place Perez has 240, just for some context as to how dominant Verstappen has been this year. The next race will be in Brazil next week, November 5. Hopefully Perez can bounce back after a tough race in Mexico. *Got tips? Send 'em to tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Nico is a writer and reviewer from New Jersey who probably thinks he’s a lot funnier than he actually is. His love of cars began when he was just a kid playing Gran Turismo 3, grinding out enough race wins with a Mazda Miata to save up for an in-game RUF 911. That passion for small, lightweight sports cars drove his desire to learn more about the industry, get his hands on as many cars as he could, and bring those experiences to life on the page. He cut his teeth writing about BMWs, Volkswagens, and Audis, mostly, and has owned far too many of each. He’s on his fourth 3 Series sedan, but all of his old, cheap German cars have forced him to learn more about car maintenance than his mechanical capability can handle. Too many late nights have been spent scrambling to get a car running by morning so he could get to work. For some reason, he never seems to learn that old Bimmers probably aren’t the best daily drivers. But he loves more than just old German cars. He’ll gladly drive and discuss anything with four (or even three) wheels. Cars aren’t his only passions, though. Nico is also a big nerd and loves movies, video games, comic books, and cares far too much about the New York Giants. So don’t be surprised if you see football references or dumb, obscure movie quotes in any of his car reviews. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()