Photo by Kym Illman/Getty Images
Ferrari and McLaren might be battling to the wire, but they are having fun doing it
Fans who were dreaming of a Constructors’ Championship fight during the 2024 Formula 1 season seem to be getting their wish. Carlos Sainz Jr.’s emphatic win Sunday in the Mexico City Grand Prix, along with a third-place finish from Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, vaulted Ferrari ahead of Red Bull in the standings, putting them just 29 points behind McLaren in the title race.
Sainz’s victory marks the sixth straight Grand Prix win for either Ferrari or McLaren. The last time one of those two teams did not reach the top podium step after a Grand Prix? That came at the Belgian Grand Prix at the end of July, won by Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton actually finished second to his Mercedes teammate George Russell, but when Russell was disqualified after his W15 failed a post-race inspection, Hamilton was promoted to the win.
Since then it has been all Ferrari or McLaren. Lando Norris captured wins in the Dutch Grand Prix and the Singapore Grand Prix, while teammate Oscar Piastri won in Azerbaijan. For Ferrari, Leclerc notched victories in Monza and at the United States Grand Prix, while Sainz took home the win in Mexico City.
That run of race weekends has set the stage for a dramatic battle to the finish, and the clash between the two teams played out in the paddock Sunday, in a rather humorous fashion.
As Ferrari was gathering in their hospitality space to celebrate the double podium, their team photograph was interrupted by a joyful McLaren CEO, as Zak Brown stopped by to flex in front of the Ferrari celebration.
Also on Sunday night, Sainz returned the favor, photobombing the McLaren team photograph to celebrate a P2 from Norris and a brilliant recovery drive from Piastri.
The social media team at F1 spliced the two videos together to highlight the incredible moments:
These videos also highlight an understated facet of each F1 race weekend. At many circuits, such as Mexico City and Austin, the team hospitality spaces are right near each other, setting up moments such as these. There was also the celebration at McLaren’s hospitality space in Miami earlier this season in honor of Norris’ maiden win, a moment that Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur crashed, champagne bottle in hand:
These two teams might be fighting to the wire, but it also looks like they will have some fun doing it.
