Mexican Grand Prix LIVE: Result and reaction as Max Verstappen beats Lewis Hamilton
Will Lewis Hamilton close the gap to championship leader Max Verstappen? Follow all the action from Mexico
Lewis Hamilton’s dreams of a record-breaking eighth world championship are hanging by a thread after Max Verstappen outgunned his rival to win the Mexican Grand Prix.
Verstappen delivered the start of starts to blast away from third, and beat both Hamilton and pole-sitter Valtteri Bottas on the 220mph stampede to the opening corner.
Mexico City’s Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez sits a breathless 2,285 metres above sea level, and Verstappen’s breathtaking getaway puts him in the driving seat to claim his maiden title and deny Hamilton further history.
Follow all the reaction from the Mexican Grand Prix below.
Mexican Grand Prix
Speaking to Sky Sports, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff predicts that Red Bull’s Sergio Perez will go for an aggressive two-stop strategy to trigger them into action.
Bottas starts on pole after Mercedes locked out the front grid, setting up an intriguing battle. All drivers apart from Ocon and Tsunoda are on mediums to start with.
Mexican Grand Prix
You can feel the atmosphere, passion and support for Sergio Perez flowing from the packed grandstands as we pause for the Mexico national anthem.
This is a brilliant occasion at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
“It’s pretty cool, huh,” says Lando Norris. “I wish they were cheering my name! You can feel it [while you drive]. It’s special and we’ve missed this.
“It’s something different for me [starting 18th] but hopefully we can enjoy it and get in the points.”
Mexican Grand Prix
It’s heating up in Mexico City as we near the start of the latest instalment in the F1 title race. As always, there’s a packed pit straight as the drivers and teams prepare for lights out.
Here’s a reminder of the starting grid - there’s quite a few drivers who have taken engine penalties.
1. Bottas - Mercedes
2. Hamilton - Mercedes
3. Verstappen - Red Bull
4. Perez - Red Bull
5. Gasly - AlphaTauri
6. Sainz - Ferrari
7. Ricciardo - McLaren
8. Leclerc - Ferrari
9. Vettel - Aston Martin
10. Raikonnen - Alfa Romeo
11. Giovinazzi - Alfa Romeo
12. Alonso - Alpine
13. Latifi - Williams
14. Schumacher - Haas
15. Mazepin - Haas
16. Russell - Williams
17. Tsunoda - AlphaTauri
18. Norris - McLaren
19. Ocon - Alpine
20. Stroll - Aston Martin
Mexican Grand Prix
Sergio Perez: “It was a shame we didn’t get the pole yesterday given how strong we’ve been the whole weekend. But today is what matters and these people are going to give me extra power today. Try to get a good start but if not, if not, it’s a long race and a lot of things can happen.”
Driver standings
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 287.5
- Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 275.5
- Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) 185
- Sergio Perez (Red Bull) 150
- Lando Norris (McLaren) 149
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 128
- Carlos Sainz Jr (Ferrari) 122.5
- Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) 105
- Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri) 74
- Fernando Alonso (Alpine) 58
- Esteban Ocon (Alpine) 46
- Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin) 36
- Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) 26
- Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) 20
- George Russell (Williams) 16
- Nicholas Latifi (Williams) 7
- Antonio Giovinazzi (Alfa Romeo) 1
- Mick Schumacher (Haas) 0
- Nikita Mazepin (Haas) 0
- Robert Kubica (Alfa Romeo) 0
Qualifying report
Lewis Hamilton will start the Mexican Grand Prix ahead of Max Verstappen after Mercedes secured a shock front row with Valtteri Bottas on pole position.
All the signs here at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez pointed towards a Verstappen triumph, but the Silver Arrows stole the show to provide Hamilton with a timely boost in his quest for a record-breaking eighth crown.
Verstappen, who leads Hamilton by 12 points with just five races left, had to settle for only third, one spot behind his championship rival.
The venue here in Mexico City sits 2,285 metres above sea level and Bottas delivered a breath-taking lap with his first run in Q3, finishing 0.145 seconds clear of Hamilton, with Verstappen three tenths adrift.
None of the top three improved on their second attempts with home favourite Sergio Perez appearing to scupper Red Bull team-mate Verstappen’s lap when he fell off the road ahead of him. Perez qualified fourth.
“Valtteri did a great job and I am so proud of him,” said Hamilton as he was jeered by the swathes of Red Bull fans supporting Perez.
“We did not think we had the pace here this weekend so to lock out the front row was pretty special.
“I am just as shocked as anyone. I would love to be in Valtteri’s position but he did a fantastic first run in Q3. I gave it my all but he did a better job.”
Verstappen added: “Qualifying did not go our way but there is still a lot to play for.”
Pierre Gasly finished fifth for AlphaTauri, while Lando Norris took 10th but he will be thrown to the back of the grid after taking on his fourth engine of the season here – one more than is permitted.
Q1 was delayed by 26 minutes after Lance Stroll crashed out.
The Canadian driver lost control of his Aston Martin on the exit of the final right-hand corner before slamming into the nearside barrier.
Stroll was unharmed in the accident, but he sustained significant damage to his car.
Stroll was escorted back to the pits in the medical car, while his wrecked machine was put on a flat-bed truck.
The 23-year-old underwent precautionary checks following the shunt which registered at 12G.
FIA race director Michael Masi then left his office to attend the accident scene, overseeing a series of hasty repairs to the damaged tyre wall.
When Q1 resumed, Fernando Alonso was the major casualty, knocked out in 16th.
But the Spaniard will be bumped up the grid with his Alpine team-mate Esteban Ocon and AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda thrown to the back following engine penalties.
George Russell finished 13th, but he will also serve a grid drop – five places for taking on a new gearbox.
Mexican Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton is aiming to cut the gap to Max Verstappen at the top of the drivers’ championship after Mercedes secured a front-row lockout at the Mexican Grand Prix. Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas is on pole ahead of Hamilton starting second, with Max Verstappen third on the grid alongside his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez in fourth. Verstappen currently leads the standings, with a 12-point advantage of his rival Hamilton and five races remaining.
Red Bull had dominated every session leading up to qualifying but got their setup wrong when it mattered, struggling on the soft tyres and giving up the front of the grid. But there was enough promising pace in practice to suggest the Red Bulls can strike back during the race. But it is Bottas on pole, for the second time in three races, and he could play a key role in how this race pans out.
“I need to enjoy this pole for a bit but then switch my mind for tomorrow,” Bottas told Sky Sports at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on Saturday. “You never know what the race situation will be. I still am 100% sure that there could be a circumstance where I could still win the race and I believe in that and I hope for that. But if not then I will support Lewis and get the maximum points for us as a team.”
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