The polesitter has won only twice since 2016, while the driver starting third has won from three of the last five Mexico City races. Here’s everything you need to know about each grid slot’s history at the Mexican Grand Prix!
MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX GRID STATS IN BRIEF
- Polesitter has won only twice since 2016
- 3rd has won 3 of last 5 races
- 4th has finished on podium in 6 of the last 8 races
- 13th has retired from last three races
- 16th and 19th have never scored
MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX RESULTS: GRID OVERVIEW
| Grid | Last Win | Last Podium | Last Points | Last DNF | Best Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2024 | 2024 | 2024 | 2018 | 1st |
| 2 | 2018 | 2021 | 2024 | 1987 | 1st |
| 3 | 2023 | 2024 | 2024 | 2015 | 1st |
| 4 | 1986 | 2024 | 2024 | 1992 | 1st |
| 5 | - | 2017 | 2024 | 2023 | 2nd |
| 6 | - | 2023 | 2024 | 1992 | 2nd |
| 7 | - | 1989 | 2024 | 2017 | 3rd |
| 8 | - | 1987 | 2024 | 2019 | 3rd |
| 9 | - | 1968 | 2021 | 2024 | 2nd |
| 10 | - | 1963 | 2024 | 1992 | 2nd |
| 11 | - | - | 2022 | 2024 | 4th |
| 12 | - | - | 2021 | 2018 | 4th |
| 13 | 1990 | 1990 | 2019 | 2024 | 1st |
| 14 | - | 1970 | 2023 | 2019 | 3rd |
| 15 | - | - | 2023 | 2015 | 7th |
| 16 | - | - | - | 2023 | 7th |
| 17 | - | - | 2024 | 2021 | 6th |
| 18 | - | - | 2021 | 2015 | 5th |
| 19 | - | - | - | 2023 | 11th |
| 20 | - | - | 2018 | 1992 | 9th |
- Won only twice since 2016
- One retirement since 1965
- 11 of 24 races won from pole
The polesitter has won in Mexico City only twice since 2016. Max Verstappen finally ended a four race win-less streak for the polesitter in Mexico in 2022, while Carlos Sainz won from pole in 2024.
Both Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc finished fourth having started from pole in 2017 and 2019 respectively, while in 2018, Daniel Ricciardo became the first polesitter to retire from the Mexican Grand Prix since Jim Clark in 1965. In 2021, Valtteri Bottas finished 15th having started from the front of the grid, while Leclerc finished third having started from pole in 2023.
Before 2017, there had been a run of four consecutive races where the driver starting on pole position had gone on to win the Mexican Grand Prix.
In total, 11 of the 24 races held so far in Mexico City have been won from pole and there have been seven occasions on which the polesitter has failed to finish in the top three.
Aside from Clark and Ricciardo’s retirements, the only other time the polesitter failed to cross the finish line at the track was in 1964. Once again it was Clark who was the polesitter, but he stopped on the penultimate lap. He was classified in fifth, so still picked up points from the event.
RECENT RESULTS FROM POLE POSITION AT THE MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 1 | 1 | 4 | DNF | 4 | 15 | 1 | 3 |
- No podiums since 2021
- Won two of last seven races
- Four wins in total
In 2022, George Russell became the first driver to start second in Mexico and fail to finish in the top two since 1990. He finished fourth in the race, as did Carlos Sainz, who also started second on the grid in 2023.
In 2024, Max Verstappen finished only sixth having started second after serving a 20-second time penalty during the race. It was the worst result for the driver starting second in Mexico since 1990, when Riccardo Patrese finished ninth.
The driver starting from second has won two of the last seven Mexican Grands Prix. Both times it has been Verstappen who has taken the honours, becoming the first driver to take back-to-back wins at the circuit in 2017 and 2018.
Aside from Verstappen’s wins, the grid slot has provided a further two victories – in 1964 and 1988 – and eight runner-up finishes. With no non-finishes from this slot since 1987, it’s the grid slot with the longest active finishing streak at the track.
RECENT RESULTS FROM 2ND ON THE GRID AT THE MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
- 2019 was first win since 1970
- Podiums in all of last five seasons
- Won three of last five events
In 2019, Lewis Hamilton became the first driver to win the Mexican Grand Prix from third on the grid since Jacky Ickx in 1970. It was also the first time that the driver starting here has finished on the podium since F1’s return to Mexico.
Max Verstappen also won from third on the grid in both 2021 and 2023 – meaning that the driver starting here has won three of the last five Mexico races.
The grid slot has had six wins in total, two more than second on the grid. The driver starting here has finished in the top two in all of the last five races at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
RECENT RESULTS FROM 3RD ON THE GRID AT THE MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| DNF | 4 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
- Podiums in six of last eight races
- Two wins – in 1969 and 1986
In six of the last eight Mexican Grands Prix, the driver starting in the fourth grid slot has finished on the podium.
Daniel Ricciardo took the final podium spot from fourth on the grid in 2016, Valtteri Bottas and Sebastian Vettel finished as runners-up in 2017 & 2018 respectively, Sergio Perez took the final spot on the podium from fourth on the grid in both 2021 & 2022 and Charles Leclerc finished third having started fourth in 2024.
Fourth is a position which has had two wins – for Denny Hulme in 1969 and Gerhard Berger in 1986. The position has had more non-finishes than any other grid slot in the top eight.
When the driver starting here has reached the end of the race, they have never finished in a position outside of the points. Daniel Ricciardo’s seventh place for AlphaTauri in 2023 is the worst result for a driver who has finished the Mexico race having started fourth.
RECENT RESULTS FROM 4TH ON THE GRID AT THE MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
- 2023 was first non-score since F1’s return to Mexico
- No wins yet
- Best result of second, in 1967 and 1989
Sergio Perez’s retirement at Turn 1 of the 2023 Mexico City Grand Prix brought an end to an eight race scoring streak for the driver starting fifth in Mexico.
In every Mexican Grand Prix since 1992 up until 2023, the driver starting fifth had scored points. During that time, Nico Huikenberg’s seventh place in 2015 was the only time that the driver lining up fifth did not finish in the top five.
The best result for a driver starting here is second, recorded by Jack Brabham in 1967 and Riccardo Patrese in 1989.
RECENT RESULTS FROM 5TH ON THE GRID AT THE MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 5 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | DNF |
- Podiums in three of last six races
- Second place in 2023 was best result since 1986
The driver starting sixth has finished on the podium at three of the last six F1 weekends in Mexico. There’ve been four podium finishes from this position since F1’s return to Mexico in 2015.
Valtteri Bottas in 2015, Kimi Raikkonen in 2018 and Bottas again in 2019 all finished third having started sixth in Mexico. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton recorded this grid slot’s best finish in Mexico since 1986 in 2023, finishing as runner-up.
Third is a popular finishing position for this grid slot: the driver starting here finished third for three consecutive seasons between 1965 and 1967!
RECENT RESULTS FROM 6TH ON THE GRID AT THE MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 3 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 2 |
- Single podium finish, in 1989
- Points in six races since 2015
Only one podium finish has been recorded from seventh on the grid at the Mexican Grand Prix. That was for Michele Alboreto, who finished third in 1989.
Since 2015, the driver starting here has scored points five times, with a best result of fifth for Sebastian Vettel in 2016.
The driver starting seventh failed to score in both 2019 and 2021.
RECENT RESULTS FROM 7TH ON THE GRID AT THE MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 6 | 5 | DNF | 6 | 13 | 12 | 6 | 8 |
- Points in all of last four races
- Fifth is best result in last 11 races
The driver starting eighth has retired from three of the last seven Mexican Grands Prix. Charles Leclerc brought a streak of three consecutive DNFs from this grid slot to an end in 2021 with a fifth place finish – the best result for this grid slot in the last 14 Mexico races.
Carlos Sainz failed to finish from eighth on the grid in both 2017 and 2018, while Lando Norris retired from this grid position in 2019.
The driver starting eighth has scored six times in the last 11 races at the circuit and has failed to cross the finish line in 14 of the 24 races here.
RECENT RESULTS FROM 8TH ON THE GRID AT THE MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 8 | 8 | DNF | DNF | DNF | 5 | 9 | 6 |
- Best result of second, in 1968
- Two DNFs in last two years
- Best result of seventh since F1’s return
In 2019, Daniil Kvyat became the first driver to fail to score points from ninth on the grid at the Mexican Grand Prix since the event returned to the calendar. Since then, Sebastian Vettel’s seventh place in 2021 is the only time that the driver starting here has scored points.
In 2015 and 2016, Sergio Perez and Felipe Massa finished where they started to score two points each, while in 2017 and 2018, Perez and Charles Leclerc each started from ninth and gained two positions in the race to finish in seventh place.
Bruce McLaren recorded the best finish for a driver starting ninth at the Mexican Grand Prix. He finished in second place in 1968.
In 2022, Fernando Alonso became the first driver to start ninth in Mexico and fail to finish the race since Pierluigi Martini in 1992. Alex Albon recorded the position’s second DNF in the last three years in 2024.
RECENT RESULTS FROM 9TH ON THE GRID AT THE MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 9 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 7 | 19 | 15 |
- Best result of second, in very first race
- 2023 is only non-score since 2017
The best result for the driver starting tenth in Mexico came in the very first World Championship race here, when Jack Brabham finished as runner-up.
All of the first three races in Mexico resulted in top seven finishes for the driver starting tenth, but since then there have been only two top seven finishes from here.
Zhou Guanyu’s 14th place finish at the 2023 Mexico City Grand Prix brought a streak of four consecutive points-scoring races for this grid position to an end. It’s the only time since 2018 that the driver starting tenth in Mexico has failed to score a point.
RECENT RESULTS FROM 10TH ON THE GRID AT THE MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 7 | 16 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 14 |
- 2024 was first DNF since 1987
- Scored points three times since 2015
- Highest grid slot to never finish on the podium
Until 2024, 11th shared the record with second for the grid slot with the longest active finishing streak at the Mexican Grand Prix. That run came to an end at Turn 1 in 2024, when Yuki Tsunoda recorded this position’s first DNF since Derek Warwick in 1987.
The position has scored points in five of the last 11 races at the track – fourth for Andrea de Cesaris in 1991, fifth for de Cesaris in 1992, sixth for Lance Stroll in 2017, seventh for Sergio Perez in 2019 and seventh for Daniel Ricciardo in 2022.
11th is the highest grid slot to have never had a podium finish in Mexico.
RECENT RESULTS FROM 11TH ON THE GRID AT THE MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 13 | 13 | 6 | 11 | 7 | 11 | 7 | 11 |
- One of the highest non-finish rates
- No top eight finishes since F1’s comeback
With 11 non-finishes, 12th on the grid has one of the highest non-finish rates at the Mexican Grand Prix, including two DNFs in the last seven races. Marcus Ericsson retired with engine issues in 2017, while Fernando Alonso had an early exit with water pressure problems in 2018.
In better news for the driver starting 12th, in nine of the 12 races in which the driver starting here has finished the race, they have finished in the top ten. The exceptions are the last three races at the track, in which 13th has been the best result.
With ninth place in 2021, Fernando Alonso recorded the best result for the driver starting 12th during the Mexico Grand Prix’s comeback to the calendar. Before that, the driver starting here had finished 10th on every occasion they reached the chequered flag since 2015.
RECENT RESULTS FROM 12TH ON THE GRID AT THE MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 10 | 10 | DNF | DNF | 10 | 9 | 13 | 13 |
- Furthest back grid slot to win, in 1990
- Scored once since win
- DNFs in all of the last three years
13th is the furthest back grid slot from which a win has come at the Mexican Grand Prix. Alain Prost won from this grid slot in 1990. Until Daniel Ricciardo finished eighth in 2019, that was the most recent time that the driver starting here had scored a point.
Historically, 13th has a relatively low DNF rate at the Mexican Grand Prix. However, the driver starting here has retired in all of the last three seasons. Yuki Tsunoda failed to finish from 13th on the grid in 2022, while Fernando Alonso has retired from this position in each of the last two years.
RECENT RESULTS FROM 13TH ON THE GRID AT THE MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 11 | 12 | 14 | DNF | 8 | 17 | DNF | DNF |
- Furthest back grid slot to finish on the podium
- Two DNFs in last four races
- Scored twice in last ten years
14th holds the record for the furthest back grid slot from which a podium finish has been recorded at the Mexican Grand Prix. In fact, the driver starting here has finished on the podium twice, with Jackie Oliver and Denny Hulme each finishing third in 1968 and 1970 respectively.
Since F1’s return to Mexico, Kevin Magnussen and Alex Albon are the only drivers to score from this position. Magnussen finished eighth with Haas in 2017, while Albon finished ninth with Williams in 2023.
The driver starting 14th has retired from two of the last five races in Mexico.
RECENT RESULTS FROM 14TH ON THE GRID AT THE MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 12 | 17 | 8 | 14 | DNF | DNF | 11 | 9 |
- Scored twice, in 2018 and 2023
- Best ever result of seventh, in 1969
Stoffel Vandoorne’s eighth place in 2018 marked the first time that the driver starting 15th at the Mexican Grand Prix scored points.
However, eighth is not the best finish for this grid slot. The best result was seventh for Pedro Rodriguez in 1969, before the position offered points.
It has had a further four top ten finishes, three of those coming before the positions awarded points and the latest being a tenth place finish for Esteban Ocon in 2023.
RECENT RESULTS FROM 15TH ON THE GRID AT THE MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| DNF | 11 | 15 | 8 | 14 | 18 | 16 | 10 |
- 11 non-finishes in total
- No top 11 finishes since F1’s return to Mexico
16th is another grid slot with a high DNF rate, with 11 non-finishes in total. Since F1 returned to the track, the driver starting here has retired three times and is yet to finish above 12th.
In fact, 16th on the grid has never given a points finish at this circuit. Hap Sharp’s seventh place finish in the first championship Mexican Grand Prix in 1963 is the best result so far for the grid slot at the track.
RECENT RESULTS FROM 16TH ON THE GRID AT THE MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 15 | DNF | DNF | 15 | 12 | 16 | 14 | DNF |
- Best result of fifth, in 2023
- 1989, 2023 and 2024 are only points-scoring years
- Two DNFs in last seven races
In the last two seasons, McLaren drivers have scored points having started 17th in Mexico. Lando Norris finished fifth having started 17th at the 2023 Mexico City Grand Prix, recording the best ever finish for this grid slot, while Oscar Piastri finished seventh from this position in 2024.
Gabriele Tarquini’s sixth place in 1989 is the only other time that the driver starting 17th at the Mexican Grand Prix has picked up a point.
Until Norris’ fifth place, 12th was this position’s best result since F1 returned to Mexico, recorded by Lance Stroll in 2017 and Alex Albon in 2022.
RECENT RESULTS FROM 17TH ON THE GRID AT THE MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 16 | 19 | DNF | 12 | 15 | DNF | 12 | 5 |
- Five points finishes
- Two points scoring races in last seven events
Of any grid slot from 13th and further back, 18th has had the equal-most points-scoring races. The driver starting here has scored five times, with a best result of fifth for Jo Bonnier in 1968.
The driver starting here has scored twice since F1’s return, with tenth place finishes for Fernando Alonso in 2017 and Lando Norris in 2018.
RECENT RESULTS FROM 18TH ON THE GRID AT THE MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| DNF | 18 | 10 | 16 | 17 | 10 | 18 | 12 |
- No top ten finishes
- 2023 was first DNF since 2015
19th has never secured a top ten finish at the Mexican Grand Prix. Guy Ligier’s 11th place finish in 1967 is the best result for this grid slot so far at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
Since the track’s return to the calendar, Stoffel Vandoorne’s 12th place in 2017 is the best finish for a driver starting from 19th.
Logan Sargeant’s late-race DNF in 2023 was the first non-finish from this position since Felipe Nasr’s retirement in 2015.
RECENT RESULTS FROM 19TH ON THE GRID AT THE MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| DNF | 15 | 12 | 13 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 16 |
- Only point in 2018
- Best result of ninth, in 1968, 1986 and 1989
Pierre Gasly’s tenth place in 2018 is the only time that the driver starting 20th at the Mexican Grand Prix has scored a point.
Despite that, there have been three better finishes from here. All three were ninth place finishes, scored by Henri Pescarolo in 1968, Christian Danner in 1986 and Martin Brundle in 1989.
With Lance Stroll starting from the pit lane in 2023, the grid slot was left clear for the first time since 1970. It was left clear again in 2024, as a result of a pit lane start for Esteban Ocon.
RECENT RESULTS FROM 20TH ON THE GRID AT THE MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 14 | 21 | 13 | 10 | 18 | 14 | 15 | – |
Romain Grosjean, Lance Stroll and Esteban Ocon are the only drivers to have started the Mexican Grand Prix from the pit lane.
Grosjean did so in 2016, but could finish only 20th in the 22-car field. Stroll retired having started from the pit lane in 2023, while Ocon finished 13th from the pit lane in 2024.
