Verstappen jumps Mercedes to take record third career victory in Mexico City.
P1 – VER
P2 – HAM
P3 – PER
Podium Finishers
It was a record-breaking day in Mexico City on Sunday, as Max Verstappen claimed a record-breaking third career victory while teammate Sergio Perez became the first Mexican driver to secure a podium finish in Mexico.
While the race ended in favor of Red Bull, it didn’t look that way at lights out, with the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton (P2) and Valtteri Bottas (P1) locking out the front row.
The excitement for Mercedes was short-lived, however, as Max Verstappen swept past both Mercedes on the outside corner of Turn 1 on the opening lap.
The McLaren of Daniel Ricciardo struck an unlucky Valtteri Bottas, with Perez following Verstappen and Hamilton behind the safety car. Bottas would be starting at the back of the grid at the Lap 4 safety car restart.
Verstappen showed remarkable pace on medium tires throughout the race, with Lewis Hamilton losing to both him and Perez on the opening stint.
Hamilton bit the bullet first and pitted on Lap 30, with Verstappen following in suit on Lap 34, leaving Perez leading his home grand prix!
Perez finally pitted on Lap 41. The Mexican driver drove his heart out in hopes of claiming P2 over Hamilton at the end, but just missed out 1.1 seconds behind the Brit.
Hometown Hero
Despite what could have been a 1-2 finish for Red Bull, the crowd roared as their hometown hero crossed the line in P3.
No one was happier than Perez’s father, who valiantly waved the Mexican flag around as he smiled ear to ear. Celebrations ensued at Red Bull, despite Bottas (P15) snagging the point for fastest lap at the end of the race.
Best of the Rest
Pierre Gasly finished a mighty P4 thanks to Bottas’s untimely spin on the opening lap. The Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finished P5 and P6, respectively, with the Spaniard losing out to his teammate at the start.
Former Ferrari teammates Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen finished P7 and P8, ahead of fellow old-timer Fernando Alonso cruising to P9 from P12 on the starting grid.
Lando Norris rounded out the top ten despite starting P19. His aussie teammate, Daniel Ricciardo, could only manage P12 after the opening lap tussle with Valtteri Bottas.
Looking Ahead
It’s lights out in Brazil next as Mercedes looks to find a solution to the charging Red Bulls. The grid returns in two weeks!
