After a disappointing race in Austin last weekend, almost everything went right for Nico Rosberg in Mexico. After capturing his 20th pole position on Saturday - the most by any driver not to have won the world championship - the German then took victory and fastest lap in Sunday’s race to claim his first career hat-trick.
Race winner Nico Rosberg (GER) Mercedes AMG F1 W06 crosses the line at Formula One World Championship, Rd17, Mexican Grand Prix, Race, Circuit Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City, Mexico, Sunday 1 November 2015.
Rosberg converted pole position into victory for the first time in four races
It was Rosberg’s fourth win of the season and his 12th career triumph, moving him level with Mario Andretti, Carlos Reutemann and Alan Jones on the all-time list. It was also Mercedes’ tenth one-two of 2015, though just the fourth in which Rosberg has headed team mate Hamilton.
Perhaps of equal significance, it was the first time in four races (and the seventh time in 20 attempts) that Rosberg has converted pole position into victory. It also moves him 21 points clear of Vettel in the battle for P2 in the drivers’ standings.
THe damaged car of race retiree Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) Ferrari SF15-T at Formula One World Championship, Rd17, Mexican Grand Prix, Race, Circuit Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City, Mexico, Sunday 1 November 2015.
For the first time since 2006, neither Ferrari was a classified finisher
Speaking of Vettel, it really was a race to forget for German, who failed to finish in the points for just the second time this season. But it was even worse for his Ferrari team who, with Kimi Raikkonen also retiring, saw neither of their cars classified as finishers for the first time since the 2006 Australian Grand Prix, nine years and 183 races ago. That ended the longest such streak of all-time.
Coincidentally, it was the third successive Mexican Grand Prix where both Ferraris have failed to see the chequered flag - though there was obviously a 23-year gap between the second and third races!
Elsewhere, Valtteri Bottas secured his second podium finish of the season with third, whilst Sergio Perez delighted the home fans by coming home in eighth place and becoming just the second Mexican driver to finish in the points in his home race, and the first since Pedro Rodriguez in 1970.
Sergio Perez (MEX) Force India during the drivers parade at Formula One World Championship, Rd17, Mexican Grand Prix, Race, Circuit Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City, Mexico, Sunday 1 November 2015.
Perez became the first Mexican driver to score points on home soil since 1970
Perez, who finished one place back from team mate Nico Hulkenberg as Force India recorded their fifth double points finish of the season, has now scored in six of the last seven races.
Behind Perez, Max Verstappen, fresh from becoming the youngest driver to top a practice session on Friday, finished ninth - the fifth race in a row he has scored points and the ninth time in his rookie campaign.
But Pastor Maldonado saw his own multiple race points streak come to an end by the narrowest of margins as he finished 11th, just 0.6s behind Lotus team mate Romain Grosjean. The Venezuelan did however have the honour of recording the fastest speed of the race, clocking an astonishing 366.4 km/h (227.6 mph) - comfortably the fastest speed trap figure of the season.
