Memorable F1 moments from the Mexican Grand Prix

Ladbrokes dives into the history of the Mexico City GP, looking back at some of the most memorable F1 moments from the Mexican Grand Prix, including Lewis Hamilton's Championship-winning race in 2017.

From an eye-catching crash in the late 1980s to a chaotic opening lap in the early 2020s, we're spanning between eras to check out some unforgettable races from Mexico - a venue that first hosted Formula One all the way back in 1963, and has once again been reinstated as a popular spot on the F1 calendar.

It hasn't been easy to whittle it down, but we've picked four of the most memorable F1 moments from the Mexican Grand Prix, kicking off with a disaster for Japan's Satoru Nakajima.

The 1987 Mexican Grand Prix only saw nine drivers cross the finish line, with the other 17 (yes, seventeen) drivers all retiring prematurely from the race - but it was Satoru Nakajima's crash that perhaps caught the eye more than anything else.

The Japanese driver, racing for Lotus-Honda, lost control of his car on the very first lap, smashing straight into the back of Derek Warwick. Nakajima lost his front-right wheel and reared off the track immediately, while Warwick was actually able to continue for another 25 laps before a collision of his own.

Christian Danner and Stefan Johansson also got caught up in the opening-lap chaos, but it was Nakajima's contact with Warwick that set the race alight within the opening seconds, causing a dramatic scene - and this would become a common occurrence in Mexico.

Jumping forward into the modern day, and we land in 2015 where the F1 circuit's two Finnish drivers went wheel-to-wheel - ending Kimi Raikkonen's race. Raikkonen (Ferrari) and Valtteri Bottas (Williams Mercedes) were both fighting among the top of the Formula One Drivers' Standings in 2015, finishing fourth and fifth respectively, but the competition proved too close in Mexico.

The Finns battled into Turn 4 on Lap 22 of the Mexican GP, but Raikkonen didn't quite give his compatriot enough room - and the pair made contact. Raikkonen's rear-left wheel became unsalvageable and ended his race, while Bottas went on to claim a podium finish despite the heavy collision. However, it was Raikkonen who had the last laugh, finishing 14 points ahead of Bottas in the World Championship standings.

Speaking of World Championships, Lewis Hamilton is a man who knows thing or two about adding his name to the exclusive list of F1 champions, currently sharing the record of seven world titles with Michael Schumacher. His fourth World Championship win was secured at the Mexico City Grand Prix - despite a puncture threatening to derail his race.

The iconic Brit - who still hunts for success on today's circuit - found himself in the middle of a Max Verstappen-Sebastian Vettel battle for the lead, with Vettel taking a lot of damage from an initial collision - but it was Lewis Hamilton that suffered the most, losing his rear-right tyre in the mayhem and having to limp back to the pits. It didn't matter too much in the end though, with Hamilton finishing ninth to take home his fourth world title - and the first of four in a row.

Rounding off Ladbrokes' look at the most memorable F1 moments from the Mexican Grand Prix, we've got the chaotic start from 2021, with the likes of Daniel Ricciardo, Valtteri Bottas and Esteban Ocon all getting caught up in the melee.

Ricciardo's lock up saw him clip the back of Bottas, causing him to spin out, before Sergio Perez dived off onto the grass to avoid crashing into the stricken Mercedes. Behind them, Esteban Ocon made heavy contact with the Haas of Mick Schumacher on his right before being hit himself by the AlphaTauri of Yuki Tsunoda.

Only Schumacher and Tsunoda were forced to retire, but nobody fared too well in the final standings, with Max Verstappen winning the race at a canter on his way to the first of four World Championship titles - becoming the fourth-youngest World Champion of all time.

And with that comes the end of our look back at a few of the most memorable F1 moments from the Mexican Grand Prix. For more Formula One content - including an ongoing series of F1's most unforgettable moments - check out our dedicated page.

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