Mick Schumacher (P16): 5.5/10
Like his team mate Kevin Magnussen, Mick Schumacher could do little to overcome the serious performance deficiency of the Haas in the high altitude conditions of Mexico City. It wasn't his fault, but it was exactly the sort of weekend he can ill-afford if there's even the slightest chance that he can keep the race seat in 2023 with Nico Hulkenberg reportedly waiting in the wings to step in. With five young drivers at work in FP1, his 14th place was quicker than only one regular driver; he was 17th in FP3 and cruelly missed the cut at the end of the first round of qualifying by one place, while his team mate Kevin Magnussen squeezed through by just over a tenth. The Dane's engine penalty meant Schumacher inherited 15th for the start of the race, but despite starting on the soft tyres he lost two places on the first lap and was picked off by Alex Albon on lap 9. He managed to stay ahead of Latifi but that was about the best that could be said as he spent the rest of the first half of the race second from last. He got in front of his team mate when the Dane pitted late, and vied with Lance Stroll over 16th, but never found a way past the Aston Martin before the chequered flag.
Lance Stroll (P15): 6/10
Given that Sebastian Vettel had a terrific race in Austin to finish in the points, it was a painful reversal of fortune for Aston Martin this week in Mexico City. The car didn't look at all well in the high altitude, struggling for breath the whole time. Even with five young drivers padding out the bottom five positions in FP1, Lance Stroll was only 13th quickest. He was then 16th in both FP2 and FP3, and missed the first cut in qualifying. With a three place penalty held over from Austin (for colliding with Fernando Alonso), he was already doomed to start Sunday's race at the back. He made a terrific start and was running in 15th place before being barged aside by Pierre Gasly. He was the first driver to make a pit stop, one of a tiny number of drivers to try a two-stop strategy, but the switch to softs did him few favours after he fell to the back where he spent much of the afternoon tangling with assorted Haas and Williams backmarkers. He came out of that fray on top and then tucked in behind his team mate Sebastian Vettel who wasn't having much better luck, and they trudged to the finish line with little hope of coming within sight of any points.
