Carlos Sainz Jr has made it back-to-back victories for Ferrari by prevailing in Sunday's Mexico Grand Prix.
The Spaniard initially failed to take advantage of his pole position by allowing Max Verstappen to take the lead over the opening corners.
However, it became clear that the superior speed lay with the Ferrari, Sainz Jr and Charles Leclerc having been on for a one-two until the final stages.
Lando Norris ultimately chased down Leclerc and forced him into a mistake to take second, but Sainz was a class above as he cruised to his second triumph of the season.
In terms of the title race, Norris has reduced Verstappen's lead to 47 points, a consequence of the Dutchman only being able to finish in sixth.
Verstappen was handed two 10-second penalties by the stewards after being deemed to have gained an unfair advantage and edged Norris off the track within the space of a few corners early in the race.
And here's the full race classification 👇#F1 #MexicoGP pic.twitter.com/gqO3O9wjSF
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 27, 2024
To his credit, Verstappen drove admirably to make sure of sixth spot when struggling with his tyres throughout the race, yet he finished almost a full minute adrift of Sainz Jr.
Mercedes pair Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were fourth and fifth respectively, the former ending the race 10 seconds behind Leclerc only through the Ferrari pitting late for fresh tyres which earned him the fastest lap.
Kevin Magnussen, Oscar Piastri, Nico Hulkenberg and Pierre Gasly completed the top 10.
How does the Drivers' Standings look?
With four races remaining, Verstappen is 47 points in front of Norris, who has subsequently moved 24 points clear of third-placed Leclerc.
In the battle for fourth, Sainz Jr is now only 11 points adrift of Piastri, while Hamilton has extended his advantage over seventh-placed Russell to 12 points.
As far as the Constructors' Standings in concerned, McLaren are now only 29 points in front of Ferrari, with Red Bull 54 points behind the leaders.
