With the drivers’ and constructors’ championships already decided, the Mexican Grand Prix was expected to be a straightforward affair. Instead, the weekend turned into a spectacle of brilliant driving, unforced errors, and strategic controversy. While George Russell capitalized on the chaos to take his first win of the season, it was the actions of Kruimel, already crowned world champion, that stole the headlines—and not for the reasons anyone expected.
Qualifying: The Captain Shines Again
The weekend began with The Captain in fine form, securing his third consecutive pole position for Mercedes. His performance was a masterclass in precision, outpacing rival Kruimel by over four-tenths of a second. While Kruimel improved throughout the session, The Captain found another gear in his final run to stamp his authority.
Fernando Alonso, Kruimel’s Aston Martin teammate and The Captain’s closest rival for second in the championship, qualified third but was significantly off the pace of the front row.
Race Start: Wheel-to-Wheel Action
The race began with an electric start as Kruimel and The Captain went side-by-side into Turn 1. Kruimel briefly took the lead, but The Captain fought back around the outside to reclaim P1. Alonso’s strong start was stymied by the battling front row, allowing Max Verstappen to sneak past him for P3.
The two leaders quickly built a gap to the rest of the field, while Alonso recovered by overtaking Verstappen on Lap 3. The race appeared to settle into a predictable rhythm until Lap 6, when Kruimel launched an audacious outside move at Turn 4. The Captain held firm, but one lap later, Kruimel used DRS on the main straight to seize the lead. From there, the reigning champion pulled away, leaving The Captain to fend off a charging Alonso.
A Chaotic Mid-Race Phase
Drama struck on Lap 10 when The Captain lost control in the twisty middle sector, narrowly avoiding a crash but losing positions to both Alonso and Verstappen. A minor collision with Verstappen damaged The Captain’s front wing, forcing an early pit stop at the end of Lap 11. Kruimel followed suit, with both drivers rejoining behind midfield traffic.
What followed was a chaotic sequence of overtakes and near-misses. Kruimel aggressively passed Daniel Ricciardo but clipped The Captain’s car during an overzealous move, further complicating matters for the Mercedes driver. Meanwhile, Alonso and Verstappen, who had pitted later, rejoined in the thick of the action, with Alonso narrowly maintaining his position ahead of Kruimel.
The race’s turning point unfolded dramatically on Lap 13, showcasing the fine margins of Formula 1. In an incredible move at Turn 12, Kruimel dived to the inside, overtaking both Alonso and Hulkenberg with surgical precision. The Captain, attempting a similar maneuver on the outside, found himself alongside Hulkenberg and with the inside line into Turn 13. Despite leaving ample space, Hulkenberg turned in, clipping The Captain’s car and sending him into a spin.
The incident caused visible damage to The Captain’s floor, while Alonso, boxed in behind the chaos, was forced to lift and lost precious time. The Virtual Safety Car was deployed shortly after, compounding the drama. George Russell, perfectly timed in the pits, emerged ahead of Kruimel when the race resumed—a tactical masterstroke that ultimately set him up for victory. Meanwhile, The Captain’s damaged car began to suffer from overheating issues, leaving him unable to match the pace of the leaders and vulnerable to Alonso and Verstappen behind.
Kruimel’s Controversial Strategy
The defining moment of the race came in the final third. By Lap 16, Kruimel began losing significant time, particularly in the circuit’s slower sectors. Initially suspected to be a mechanical issue, he had to let Russel and The Captain by. His actions raised eyebrows when he strategically held up the pack, including his teammate Alonso. Kruimel ignored repeated team orders to let Alonso through, frustrating the Spaniard, who ultimately damaged his front wing in a failed overtaking attempt.
Verstappen suffered a similar fate, leaving both drivers to limp back to the pits and effectively out of contention for points. Meanwhile, The Captain, despite carrying damage from earlier incidents, cruised past the chaos to secure P2 behind George Russell.
Post-Race Fallout
Kruimel crossed the line in P3, a remarkable result given his apparent lack of pace in the latter stages. Yet his actions overshadowed his podium finish, sparking fierce debate about his motives. By holding up Alonso, Kruimel indirectly ensured The Captain extended his lead for second place in the championship to 28 points—a nearly insurmountable gap with two races remaining.
The media swarm after the race centered around Alonso, who did not mince words:
“It’s clear today that we weren’t racing as a team. I’ll let Aston Martin handle it, but I’m extremely disappointed.”
The Captain, on the other hand, seemed unbothered by the controversy, celebrating his podium alongside Kruimel and Russell. He now stands on the brink of securing second in the championship, a significant achievement in just his second Formula 1 season.
A Friendship Tested?
Kruimel and The Captain, close friends since their karting days in the Mercedes junior academy, have always been supportive of each other on and off the track. However, this race might have tested the boundaries of that friendship. While The Captain benefited immensely from Kruimel’s actions, the optics of prioritizing a friend over a teammate have raised questions about professionalism and sportsmanship.
Looking Ahead
As the grid moves to Portugal for the penultimate race of the season, tensions at Aston Martin are sure to dominate the headlines. Will Alonso bounce back, or has the Mexican Grand Prix effectively ended his hopes of finishing second?
What remains certain is that Kruimel, despite his dominance this season, has added a layer of intrigue—and controversy—to his burgeoning legacy.
