3 November 2026 15:00 (UTC)
Lando and Andrea on why there is cause for optimism following Sunday’s race in the Mexican capital
Lando was encouraged by the pace of the MCL40 in Mexico City, despite being ultimately frustrated by his results, with Team Principal Andrea Stella saying that a podium was on the cards for the British driver.
Lando finished fifth, a place ahead of where he started, on a track where overtakes were hard to come by, narrowly missing out on fourth following a late battle with the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc.
Oscar recovered from 12th on the grid to cross the line seventh, but was subsequently classified 13th after receiving a 10-second penalty for a collision with Arvid Lindblad.
Although neither driver achieved the result they hoped for, the team's race pace offered encouragement ahead of the São Paulo Grand Prix.
Having started sixth, Lando dropped two positions on the opening lap before recovering to P6, overtaking Franco Colapinto and Lindblad. A lengthy first stint on the Soft tyre allowed Lando to extend his opening run before switching to the Medium compound.
He emerged fifth and began closing the gap to the Ferraris ahead, although his progress was interrupted by a Red Flag following Valtteri Bottas' crash. Following the restart, Lando continued to push, closing in on Leclerc in the final stages. Despite applying pressure and looking for an opportunity to overtake, he was unable to find a way through and stayed P5.
"The pace certainly seemed positive,” he said. "It was a good battle with Charles. He defended very, very well, so it was impossible. I was kind of hoping he made a mistake, but even when he did, it was in the tight, twisty bit where it was too difficult to get past, so it was good fun.
"The potential was very strong today, so I'm a little bit disappointed we couldn't achieve more, but when I look at it, it was so difficult to overtake with the speed limiter.
“A shame, because it felt like we could have achieved a lot more, but that is a positive - a positive that we can hopefully take into Brazil and the next few races. The car was very good on Sunday, but we still need to improve on a Saturday and make the car a little bit better to drive in Qualifying.
“But overall, there are positives. Of course we wanted more today, we always do, but positives to take into next weekend.”
Team Principal Andrea Stella agreed with Lando that the potential was there to fight for a better result if luck had swung our way a little more, adding that the car's pace and the impending arrival of further updates bode well for the remaining four races of the season.
“A disappointing result, 10 points is less than we could score based on the potential of the car,” says Andrea. “The pace was good enough today, certainly, to fight for podiums.
“Our mind is already on to Brazil, we look forward to bringing some upgrades to make the car faster, and finally use all the potential and fight for some more rewarding results.”
The Mexico City Grand Prix also saw Kimi Antonelli secure his maiden Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship with a third-place finish, and a gracious Lando was full of praise for the man following in his footsteps.
"He's a genuine guy, he's very kind, and he's driven just unbelievably well this year," Lando added, taking a moment to turn and watch the Italian’s celebrations on the surrounding TV monitors.
"He's gone up against the best drivers in the world, all in very good cars, and he's easily beaten everyone. He should be very proud of what he's achieved. He made history today, so I'm very, very happy for him."
