TDT | Manama
Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com
World champion Max Verstappen claimed his 16th win of the season at the Mexican Grand Prix on Sunday, tying him with Alain Prost for the most F1 wins with 51.
The Red Bull driver, who started from third on the grid, took the lead at the start and then dominated the race, until Haas’ Kevin Magnussen crashed heavily and the race was red-flagged for an extended period of time.
The 26-year-old Dutchman returned home 13.875 seconds ahead of a reinvigorated Lewis Hamilton who started sixth, with polesitter Charles Leclerc taking third ahead of Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz.
McLaren’s Lando Norris drove enthusiastically from 17th on the grid to a brilliant 5th place, ahead of George Russell in the second Mercedes.
It was Verstappen’s fifth win in Mexico and his record-tying 18th podium finish this year, while Leclerc, who had the misfortune of colliding with Sergio Perez’s Red Bull at the first corner, endured his 11th consecutive failure to take pole position. could not turn it into a victory.
Pérez spun off, recovered and retired, much to the disappointment of fans in his native Mexico, who had gathered in large crowds at the high-altitude Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
“It’s just incredible,” Verstappen said. “It’s really amazing to win from third place. I started from P3 and the car was really great.
It was a very strong race, but I don’t know right now, but maybe I can win more, maybe 17 or 18! ” said Hamilton, who was disqualified after finishing second in the U.S. championship a week ago.
I was pushing, but not super hard. A great result considering he started in 6th place.
This is a great result for us after a difficult few weeks. Leclerc noticed “a lot of boos” from the crowd and explained his role in Perez’s sending off.
“There was nowhere to go. I was between two Red Bulls.
Czech damaged my car and his race was over.
It wasn’t intentional. ” Daniel Ricciardo of AlphaTauri achieved a brilliant seventh place ahead of Oscar Piastri in the second McLaren, Alex Albon in Williams and Esteban Ocon in Alpine.
Verstappen’s fast start
Verstappen made a sensational start, powering through the Ferraris and taking the inside line after an 8.0.0 meter rush from turn one.
Sensing an opportunity, Perez ran three cars abreast with Verstappen and Leclerc, but clipped the Ferrari’s front wing and was bounced back.
Amid loud groans, Leclerc continued to run, flapping his front wing, but it soon came off.
Stewards noted that he had been driving in a “dangerous condition” and decided to investigate after the race.
“I tried to do that,” Perez said, accepting responsibility.
“There wasn’t enough space for three cars. In retrospect, I should have pulled out, but this is my home race.” By lap 20, Verstappen led by 4.6 seconds into the hard pits, leaving Leclerc behind. handed over the lead.
He returned to seventh behind Russell and quickly moved up to fifth as his rivals pitted, before Kevin Magnussen crashed hard at Turn 9, bringing out the safety car.
The Dane escaped, apparently unharmed, but his burning Haas was badly damaged as Verstappen led the charge with a cheap pit stop and held the lead until the race was red-flagged.
After a 20-minute break to clear debris, the race resumed with a standing start, with Verstappen on the hard ahead of Leclerc as Hamilton on the medium raced for the gap.
It showed up on lap 40, diving into the inside of Monaco in turn 1 in vintage style and moving into second place.
“It’s going to be a tough stint,” said Hamilton, assessing his chances as Verstappen built a plush cushion with a four-second lead.