Report: Five positions gained in CDMX

No points, but progress for Alex in the 2025 Mexico City GP

Published

26 OCT 2025

Est. reading time

3 min

A P12 finish came Alex's way in the 2025 Mexico City GP after a frustrating day in the cockpit after a strategic gamble to take the Hard compound tyre didn't pay off as he'd hoped.

As only one of two starters to opt for the white-walled Pirelli tyre, Alex was always set for a long first stint, hoping to gain later with a Safety Car that ultimately never materialised.

Nonetheless, Albono did enjoy a brace of passes in the opening laps, getting by Nico Hulkenberg and Pierre Gasly in quick succession.

With Lance Stroll spinning and Liam Lawson pitting for a new nose, Alex reached P16 after originally dropping back on the opening lap.

That was where the early passes ended, however. Switching to lift-and-coast racing allowed Stroll to get back through as the pit stop window opened for most cars.

Others stopped and used their fresher Pirellis to pass Alex, with Esteban Ocon providing the most action for the No23. The Frenchman initially got by into Turn 1 before Albono fought back out of Turn 3, eventually succumbing by the end of the second DRS straight.

Switching to Softs on Lap 43 improved Alex's fortunes somewhat, with a mixture of one-stop and two-stop strategies further aiding his cause. Stroll showcased this well, with the Aston Martin driver emerging out of the pit lane after his second stop alongside Alex before going deep and allowing an easy pass for P14.

A drive-through penalty for teammate Carlos Sainz handed Alex another position after team orders had earlier required him to let the Spaniard through, and one more position followed in the closing laps for P12.

Alex used his experience to line up a move on Isack Hadjar at Turn 4 from back at the pit straight, concluding his five-position Sunday gain in the Mexican capital.

There is now a week off for Albono to recover before heading to South America for the Sao Paulo GP on 9 November.

After the race, Alex said, "A bit of a slow race for me.

"I was one of two drivers on the hard tyre at the beginning of the race which we just didn’t have the pace.

"We committed to the one-stop strategy early on which turned out to be the slower option and didn’t work for us, so we missed out on an opportunity to be dynamic and be more competitive in the midfield.

"It’s been a couple races where we’ve been struggling and we need to figure out where it’s coming from.

"We can see it in the data, we can see the issues I’m having with the car, so we need to regroup, reassess, and have a good catchup before Brazil so we can get back into rhythm and back into the top ten."