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- With four races to go, Max Verstappen increased his lead in the overall standings to 19 points thanks to a great start from third place on the grid in Mexico City.
- Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez completed the podium as no other driver was within 1 minute of the winner.
- At the remaining four events in Brazil, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi, 107 points are still to be won.
Max Verstappen has come one step closer to the end of Lewis Hamilton’s four-year reign as Formula 1 World Champion with an emphatic performance at the F1 Grand Prix of Mexico City on Sunday.
It was a devastatingly dominant drive by Verstappen for his ninth win of the season at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez and his third win in his last four visits to the track.
The key to Verstappen’s win was the start. Pole-sitter Valtteri Bottas chose not to defend the ideal line and instead held the center, with Hamilton on the inside, allowing Verstappen to achieve the optimal line on the outside. Verstappen was able to brake later than the Mercedes drivers and jumped from third to first place in one fell swoop.
From then on, Verstappen only gave up the lead during the pit stop cycle when he drove home 16.555 seconds ahead of championship rival Lewis Hamilton. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez completed the podium 17.752 seconds behind the winner.
No other driver crossed the finish line within 1 minute of the lead.
“I braked as late as possible at Turn 1, kept her in the lane, drove from third to first place because that made up my race because I could concentrate entirely on myself,” said Verstappen. “We had incredible pace in the car.
Lewis Hamilton, left, held off Sergio Perez for second place.
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“There is still a long way to go [in the championship]It looks good like this, of course, but it can also turn around very quickly. But I’m looking forward to Brazil. “
For Hamilton it was a successful salvage job, as he was able to assert himself in the title fight with second place. He has to level a gap of 19 points with 107 points in the remaining four events in Brazil, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi.
“There are four races left, 19 points is a lot of points and I think his ninth win so he has had a lot of wins this year,” said Hamilton. “I think today, with their superior speed, if they carried this into the next, we might get into trouble … or we might get into trouble. But I hope we’re closer. “
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said the team will continue to fight on the go despite Verstappen’s second win.
“None of us will ever leave this route here with the mentality that it is going away from us,” emphasized Wolff. “If you look at the mathematical probability, I’d rather be 19 points ahead than behind, but that’s how it is.”
The local spectators were happy when they witnessed their own podium finish on their home turf for the first time. Since his last visit to the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in 2019 when Perez took his first win, he has been left almost empty after being dumped by Racing Point and then joining Red Bull Racing.
Sergio Perez was a popular podium in Mexico.
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The majority of the 140,000 who took part in the race, including the 30,000 at the frenzied Foro Sol Stadium, which houses part of the circuit, greeted Perez like a hero throughout the weekend. Perez used fresher tires to chase Hamilton as he attempted a 1-2 for Red Bull, but despite missing third place, it was a podium that delighted the waiting crowd. Perez’s son greeted his father happily while Perez’s own father danced cheerfully and waved the Mexican flag.
“At the end of the day we’re such competitive people, when we finish third we don’t enjoy it, but today is one of those days I have to enjoy because the audience… just looks at so many people so happy and most of all, up Pretty much everyone who had been with me since day one was on the podium, that was something special for me, ”said Perez.
In a drowsy race, there was little action or incidents after the first lap. Bottas’ small hopes were dashed when he was tipped into a turner by McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo. A non-points point for Bottas was good news for Red Bull in the Constructors ‘World Championship as Mercedes’ lead was reduced from 23 to a single point.
Pierre Gasly finished fourth for AlphaTauri and lifted her overall on points with Alpine, while it was a successful day for Ferrari at McLaren’s expense. Fifth and sixth for Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are hardly worth mentioning in the context of the famous Ferrari story, but in the battle for third place overall, the brand moved 13.5 points ahead of McLaren.
Also think of Antonio Giovinazzi. Seventh in the first stint, Alfa Romeo drove the confusing request to stop him prematurely and dropped him into traffic, which meant he finished first out of eleven for the third straight race as his rivals overtook him .
“Hey guys, thanks for the great strategy,” said an understandably frustrated Giovinazzi in the cooldown group. Given his uncertain future with Alfa Romeo slated to replace him in 2022, this may have been his last chance for a strong result.
It wasn’t a race that will long be remembered for its entertainment factor – though the podium scenes saved the day – but in the title race it could still prove to be a pivotal day.
Max Verstappen won by almost 17 seconds on Sunday as only two cars crossed the finish line within 1 minute behind the Red Bull racing driver.
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F1 Mexican Grand Prix results
- Max Verstappen, Red Bull, 71 laps
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, +16.555 seconds
- Sergio Perez, Red Bull, +17,752
- Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri, +1: 03.845
- Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, +1: 21.037
- Carlos Sainz Jr., Ferrari, +1 lap
- Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin, +1 lap
- Kimi Raikkonen, Alfa Romeo, +1 lap
- Fernando Alonso, alpine, +1 lap
- Lando Norris, McLaren, +1 lap
- Antonio Giovinazzi, Alfa Romeo, +1 lap
- Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren, +1 lap
- Esteban Ocon, Alpine, +1 lap
- Lance Stroll, Aston Martin, +2 laps
- Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, +2 laps
- George Russell, Williams +2 rounds
- Nicholas Latifi, Williams, +2 rounds
- Nikita Mazepin, Haas, +2 rounds
- Mick Schumacher, Haas, DNF
- Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri, DNF
Updated tables
4 races remaining
- Max. Verstappen 312.5
- Lewis Hamilton 293.5
- Valtteri Bottas 185
- Sergio perez 165
- Land of Norris 150
- Charles Leclerc 138
- Carlos Sainz Jr. 130.5
- Daniel Ricciardo 105
- Pierre Gasly 86
- Fernando Alonso 60
- Esteban Ocon 46
- Sebastian Vettel 42
- Lance hike 26
- Yuki Tsunoda 20th
- George Russell 16
- Kimi Raikkonen 10
- Nicholas Latifi 7
- Antonio Giovinazzi 1
- Mick Schumacher 0
- Robert Kubica 0
- Nikita Mazepin 0
Constructors’ championship
- Mercedes 478.5
- Red Bull 477.5
- Ferrari 268.5
- McLaren 255
- Alps 106
- AlphaTauri 106
- Aston Martin 68
- Williams 23
- Alfa Romeo 11
- Haas 0
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