The FIA confirmed that a group of hackers briefly gained access to data on its driver licencing portal, including the personal data of some drivers. The vulnerability was discovered by a group of three ethical hackers to expose issues with the FIA’s system. The hackers created a profile on the FIA’s driver categorization portal, the system used to manage drivers’ FIA licences, and were able to change the profile to admin level. This gave them access to sensitive information. The vulnerability was immediately disclosed to the FIA in June, which promptly fixed the issue.
Aston Martin is believed to have breached the 2024 cost cap, although the infraction is a procedural violation, not an overspending violation. Teams are required to submit documentation proving they complied with the cost cap regulations no later than March 31 of the following year. It’s understood that Aston Martin completed the documents in time, but had a delay in getting the documentation signed by their auditor. It’s believed that the team has agreed to an Accepted Breach Settlement for the violation, which will result in a small fine. However, sources have also indicated that another team may be under investigation for violating cost cap regulations, although it’s not currently known which team or the nature of the violation.
Sergio Perez will complete his first test with Cadillac at Imola in November. The current Testing Previous Cars regulations allow teams to test with cars that are at least two years old. But since Cadillac will be making its debut in 2026, they have no previous car to use for the test. The US team will be loaning a 2023 Ferrari SF-23 for the test session. Although the session won’t offer any data about the team’s own car, it’s a good opportunity for the team to prepare for their debut season and give Perez, who has not raced in 2025, a chance to get used to driving an F1 car again.
Charles Leclerc started the Mexican Grand Prix weekend off strong, setting the fastest time in the first free practice session. Kimi Antonelli was close behind the Ferrari driver, with Nico Hulkenberg, Oscar Piastri, and Gabriel Bortoleto making up the top five. The session was filled with rookies, Sauber being the only team to run both their regular drivers. Arvid Lindblad was the quickest of the rookies, outpacing current Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda. The other rookies included Pato O’Ward (McLaren), Frederik Vesti (Mercedes), Paul Aron (Alpine), Ryo Hirakawa (Haas), Ayumu Iwasa (Racing Bulls), Luke Browning (Williams), Jak Crawford (Aston Martin), and Antonio Fuoco (Ferrari). Notably, Lindblad was the only rookie to beat any of the full-time drivers, placing a respectable P6.
The second free practice session was led by Max Verstappen, as all 20 drivers returned to their seats. Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli were next on the timing page, despite the latter facing a mechanical issue early on that necessitated a couple of trips to the garage. Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton rounded out the top five, as championship leader Oscar Piastri appeared to struggle for pace in the session, finishing down in P12.
The final practice session on Saturday saw Lando Norris set the pace ahead of qualifying. It was a slow start to the session before drivers finally began to venture out onto the track. Lewis Hamilton was the closest contender to Norris, but was 0.345s away from his pace by the time the chequered flag fell. The Brit had a few moments running deep through the grass as he pushed to find the limit of the Ferrari. George Russell was the third fastest ahead of Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri, although only Hamilton lapped within 0.5s of Norris.
Lando Norris continued his strong pace on Saturday afternoon to secure pole position. Ferrari appeared strong in qualifying, earning P2 and P3. Oscar Piastri struggled in Q3, finishing P8, which was actually P7 after Carlos Sainz’s grid penalty was applied for his previous collision at the United States Grand Prix. The Racing Bulls had a great performance in Q1, with Isack Hadjar topping the session and teammate Liam Lawson finishing in P3. But by Q2, the battle was clearly between Norris and Charles Leclerc, which would continue to Q3, where Leclerc qualified on the front row. Hamilton finished a strong P3 to start on the second row alongside George Russell. This was Hamilton’s best qualifying performance since joining Ferrari.
Lando Norris continued his fantastic performance to convert his pole to a race victory, winning by more than 30 seconds. The opening lap was a bit chaotic in the first corner, as the leaders entered four-wide. Max Verstappen ran wide through the grass, and Charles Leclerc also cut the corner after a near miss with his teammate, briefly coming out in the lead before giving the position back to Norris. The drama continued a few laps later when Verstappen made a brave lunge into the first corner on lap four, bumping Hamilton. The battle continued until the Brit locked up in turn four and cut across the grass. He was handed a ten-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage, severely hindering his race. In the chaos, Oliver Bearman found himself in P3, looking at the prospect of getting his first podium. But while most of the cars around him opted for the two-stop strategy, Red Bull gambled on the one-stop strategy for Verstappen. This gave him P3, although his chance to challenge Leclerc, who had been forced to try the one-stop strategy, was ruined by a virtual safety car on the penultimate lap. Oscar Piastri managed to recover to P5 after losing four positions on the opening lap, but it was not enough to maintain his championship lead. Norris jumped ahead of his teammate by one point, leading the championship for the first time since the Bahrain Grand Prix in April. Click here to read a full summary of the 2025 Mexican Grand Prix.
The FIA will investigate a close call involving marshals on the circuit during the Mexican Grand Prix. After the opening lap, race control was notified about debris in the first corner. On lap three, the FIA instructed marshals to clear the debris after all cars passed turn 1. However, those instructions were revoked after Liam Lawson pitted, meaning there was an insufficient gap in the traffic to safely clear the debris. The marshals continued onto the circuit anyway, forcing Lawson to take evasive action as he came across them in the corner. The FIA has vowed to investigate the series of events leading up to the incident so that it does not occur again.
Another sprint weekend now lies ahead as the drivers head to Brazil for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix in two week’s time. The sprint will be held on November 8, followed by the race on November 9.
It can be challenging for even the most avid fans to keep up with the fast-paced world of Formula One. The Weekly F1 Recap is a series published each Monday that breaks down the action, both on and off the circuit, into bit-sized pieces. It's perfect for casual and experienced fans alike.
