Before the Mexican Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc said the driver who came out of turn one in the lead on lap one would be at a huge advantage.
That driver turned out to be him. But his race took a turn for the worse when Ferrari brought him in for his first pit stop earlier than many of his rivals. Why did the team take that decision?Leclerc’s pit stop was triggered by Alexander Albon. The Red Bull driver had got up to third place at the start and had closed on the leading Ferraris. Red Bull brought him in hoping that getting him onto fresher tyres first would allow him to jump ahead of Vettel.
At that point, Ferrari could have reacted by pitting Vettel. But doing so would have made it likely that, by putting Vettel on fresher tyres first, he would be able to ‘undercut’ Leclerc.
This looked like the being reason why Ferrari brought Leclerc in. Leclerc confirmed the explanation after the race. “We wanted to cover from Albon at first, which we did,” he said. “And then from then on I think it was very difficult to do better.”
Both Leclerc and Albon took a second set of medium tyres, so at that point they were committed to two-stop strategies. “With the two stops it was very difficult to stay behind the cars and to overtake at the end, even with a very good pit stop.”
For the rest of the front runners the name of the game became whether they could get to the end by pitting just once. However Ferrari made another tactical error when it came to Sebastian Vettel’s pit stop. Having brought Leclerc in too soon, they then left Vettel out too long.
That allowed Lewis Hamilton to ‘undercut’ him, get onto the hard tyres first, and run to the end – though the Mercedes driver had misgivings about whether that would work. It did, and Mercedes had outmanoeuvred Ferrari to win again.
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2019 Mexican Grand Prix lap chart
The positions of each driver on every lap. Click name to highlight, right-click to reset. Toggle drivers using controls below:
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2019 Mexican Grand Prix race chart
The gaps between each driver on every lap compared to the leader’s average lap time. Very large gaps omitted. Scroll to zoom, drag to pan and right-click to reset. Toggle drivers using controls below:
Position change
Driver | Start position | Lap one position change | Race position change |
---|---|---|---|
Lewis Hamilton | 3 | -2 | 2 |
Valtteri Bottas | 6 | -1 | 3 |
Sebastian Vettel | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Charles Leclerc | 1 | 0 | -3 |
Max Verstappen | 4 | -4 | -2 |
Alexander Albon | 5 | 2 | 0 |
Daniel Ricciardo | 13 | 1 | 5 |
Nico Hulkenberg | 12 | -1 | 1 |
Romain Grosjean | 18 | -2 | 1 |
Kevin Magnussen | 17 | 0 | 2 |
Carlos Sainz Jnr | 7 | 3 | -6 |
Lando Norris | 8 | 2 | |
Sergio Perez | 11 | 0 | 4 |
Lance Stroll | 16 | 2 | 4 |
Kimi Raikkonen | 14 | -2 | |
Antonio Giovinazzi | 15 | 0 | 1 |
Daniil Kvyat | 9 | 0 | 0 |
Pierre Gasly | 10 | 0 | 0 |
George Russell | 19 | 0 | 3 |
Robert Kubica | 20 | 2 | 2 |
2019 Mexican Grand Prix lap times
All the lap times by the drivers (in seconds, very slow laps excluded). Scroll to zoom, drag to pan and toggle drivers using the control below:
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2019 Mexican Grand Prix fastest laps
Each driver’s fastest lap:
Rank | Driver | Car | Fastest lap | Gap | On lap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1’19.232 | 53 | |
2 | Alexander Albon | Red Bull-Honda | 1’19.325 | 0.093 | 48 |
3 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1’19.381 | 0.149 | 68 |
4 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1’19.461 | 0.229 | Set on 2 laps |
5 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1’19.494 | 0.262 | 66 |
6 | Pierre Gasly | Toro Rosso-Honda | 1’19.530 | 0.298 | 53 |
7 | Daniil Kvyat | Toro Rosso-Honda | 1’19.905 | 0.673 | 48 |
8 | Kimi Raikkonen | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | 1’20.082 | 0.850 | 55 |
9 | Daniel Ricciardo | Renault | 1’20.146 | 0.914 | 53 |
10 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | McLaren-Renault | 1’20.311 | 1.079 | 66 |
11 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Honda | 1’20.406 | 1.174 | 65 |
12 | Sergio Perez | Racing Point-Mercedes | 1’20.485 | 1.253 | 70 |
13 | Robert Kubica | Williams-Mercedes | 1’20.696 | 1.464 | 63 |
14 | Nico Hulkenberg | Renault | 1’20.791 | 1.559 | 59 |
15 | Lance Stroll | Racing Point-Mercedes | 1’20.922 | 1.690 | 68 |
16 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | 1’21.014 | 1.782 | 65 |
17 | George Russell | Williams-Mercedes | 1’21.286 | 2.054 | 69 |
18 | Romain Grosjean | Haas-Ferrari | 1’21.581 | 2.349 | 68 |
19 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Renault | 1’21.643 | 2.411 | 46 |
20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas-Ferrari | 1’21.682 | 2.450 | 53 |
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2019 Mexican Grand Prix tyre strategies
The tyre strategies for each driver:
Stint 1 | Stint 2 | Stint 3 | |
---|---|---|---|
Lewis Hamilton | C3 (23) | C2 (48) | |
Sebastian Vettel | C3 (37) | C2 (34) | |
Valtteri Bottas | C3 (36) | C2 (35) | |
Charles Leclerc | C3 (15) | C3 (28) | C2 (28) |
Alexander Albon | C3 (14) | C3 (30) | C2 (27) |
Max Verstappen | C3 (5) | C2 (66) | |
Sergio Perez | C3 (20) | C2 (51) | |
Daniel Ricciardo | C2 (50) | C3 (21) | |
Daniil Kvyat | C4 (10) | C2 (34) | C3 (26) |
Pierre Gasly | C4 (9) | C2 (40) | C3 (21) |
Nico Hulkenberg | C3 (18) | C2 (52) | |
Lance Stroll | C3 (37) | C2 (33) | |
Carlos Sainz Jnr | C4 (15) | C2 (20) | C3 (35) |
Antonio Giovinazzi | C3 (21) | C2 (49) | |
Kevin Magnussen | C3 (28) | C2 (41) | |
George Russell | C3 (22) | C2 (47) | |
Romain Grosjean | C3 (37) | C2 (32) | |
Robert Kubica | C3 (21) | C2 (39) | C3 (9) |
Kimi Raikkonen | C3 (15) | C2 (37) | C3 (6) |
Lando Norris | C4 (12) | C2 (36) |
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2019 Mexican Grand Prix pit stop times
How long each driver’s pit stops took:
Driver | Team | Pit stop time | Gap | On lap | |
1 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 21.862 | 37 | |
2 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 22.002 | 0.140 | 15 |
3 | Alexander Albon | Red Bull | 22.003 | 0.141 | 44 |
4 | Daniil Kvyat | Toro Rosso | 22.033 | 0.171 | 44 |
5 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | McLaren | 22.179 | 0.317 | 35 |
6 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 22.179 | 0.317 | 36 |
7 | Alexander Albon | Red Bull | 22.192 | 0.330 | 14 |
8 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | McLaren | 22.241 | 0.379 | 15 |
9 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 22.269 | 0.407 | 23 |
10 | Daniel Ricciardo | Renault | 22.345 | 0.483 | 50 |
11 | Sergio Perez | Racing Point | 22.357 | 0.495 | 20 |
12 | Nico Hulkenberg | Renault | 22.484 | 0.622 | 18 |
13 | Daniil Kvyat | Toro Rosso | 22.490 | 0.628 | 10 |
14 | Robert Kubica | Williams | 22.570 | 0.708 | 60 |
15 | Pierre Gasly | Toro Rosso | 22.618 | 0.756 | 49 |
16 | Pierre Gasly | Toro Rosso | 22.689 | 0.827 | 9 |
17 | Lance Stroll | Racing Point | 22.745 | 0.883 | 37 |
18 | Kimi Raikkonen | Alfa Romeo | 22.754 | 0.892 | 15 |
19 | George Russell | Williams | 22.887 | 1.025 | 22 |
20 | Kimi Raikkonen | Alfa Romeo | 22.963 | 1.101 | 52 |
21 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 23.084 | 1.222 | 28 |
22 | Romain Grosjean | Haas | 24.128 | 2.266 | 37 |
23 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 24.493 | 2.631 | 5 |
24 | Robert Kubica | Williams | 24.606 | 2.744 | 21 |
25 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 25.786 | 3.924 | 43 |
26 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo | 43.411 | 21.549 | 21 |
27 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 123.388 | 101.526 | 12 |
2019 Mexican Grand Prix
- Why Leclerc’s penalty decision took four hours longer than Kvyat’s
- Ferrari must start converting pole positions into wins – Binotto
- 2019 Mexican Grand Prix Star Performers
- Mercedes: Lost ‘wouvre panel’ cost Hamilton seven seconds
- Horner defends Verstappen’s driving after Hamilton’s “torpedo” criticism
frood19 (@frood19)
28th October 2019, 8:15
Massive tactical fail by ferrari. le clerc’s strategy was somewhat understandable, but going medium-hard-medium would have made more sense (ricciardo proved the hards could last long). however, vettel’s strategy was just inexcusable. what are the ferrari strategists doing? do they not learn from past events? data showing micro-level stint length vs. lap time has to be overruled by events data, macro-level information that shows track position is king. how often do we see the car with track position make it work? more often than not, i’d say, though obviously every race is unique. conversely, i think something like hamilton vs. verstappen at hungary this year is a rarer event.
if vettel had pitted on the same lap as hamilton, or maybe even the lap after, he would probably have won. that was surely predictable from the available information at the time. instead they gambled (and it was a gamble even at that stage) that (a) hamilton would not be able to make the tyres last and (b) vettel would be able to pass him.
Bulgarian (@bulgarian)
28th October 2019, 11:22
Let’s be honest. Now we know how everything worked out. But at the time of the race even Hamilton was questioning his own strategy. So, I would not blame Ferrari strategists. They probably made a small error with Vettel’s strategy – only a matter of a couple of laps. No major fail by Ferrari. They were watching Hamilton’s lap times too, so they had to evaluate many “what if’s” and it is not easy to be perfect with a strategy.
Adam Hardwick (@fluxsource)
28th October 2019, 11:46
The lap after wouldn’t have worked – Hamiltons outlap was already quick enough that he would have been passed Vettel. As for making the tyres last – if Hamilton couldn’t, why would Vettel be able to while in his dirty air. Finally, Vettel wasn’t able to get close to Hamilton even when his tyres were much younger. Doing so with tyres the same age would have been even more difficult.
Rhys Gold (@rhysgold)
20th May 2020, 20:40
Hi, the graphs do not load up for me to view, is there anything wrong with my computer or are the servers down to see them?
Thanks, Rhys
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
25th May 2020, 21:48
@rhysgold Hi Rhys, is it OK now?
Rhys G Gold
25th May 2020, 21:56
They are fine indeed. Thank you for your help and reply, it’s great work you guys do on this website and is fascinating data to look at. Was not sure if it was my own problem!
SKIDI
20th July 2020, 3:19
Hi, The graphs are not loading up again, could you please fix it?