‘Fast and smart’ Verstappen wins Mexico GP

Two-time world champion claims record 14th win of the 2022-23 season

MEXICO CITY:

Two-time world champion Max Verstappen said the combination of a fast and flawless start and Red Bull's smart tyre strategy were decisive on Sunday when he claimed a record 14th win of the season at the Mexico Grand Prix.

The 25-year-old Dutchman, who clinched the constructors' title for Red Bull a week earlier in Texas, took control of the race with a perfect start from his 17th career pole position.

He pulled clear to increase his advantage ahead of seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes, only relinquishing his lead for nine laps after his pit stop before powering away to a comfortable triumph.

"It helped me out a lot for the rest of the race to stay in the lead at Turn One," said Verstappen, emphasising how important the 800-metre charge off the grid was to taking command of the race.

"Of course, we were also on a different strategy to the cars around us – but again an incredible result. The pace of the car was really nice.

"We had to look after our tyres because it was a very long stint on the mediums, but we made it work.

"It's such an incredible atmosphere and we love to come here. And it has been an incredible year so far. We are definitely enjoying it – and will try to go for more."

Red Bull's choice of a tyre strategy that saw them start on softs and switch to mediums proved to a key factor in their victory as rivals Mercedes struggled when they moved from mediums to hard tyres.

"We got it wrong today," admitted Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff.

Verstappen's pure pace did the rest as he cruised to his 14th win of the year to pull clear after sharing the record of 13 wins in a season with two German stars – seven-time champion Michael Schumacher and four-time champion Sebastian Vettel.

His victory in Austin a week earlier had sealed Red Bull's first constructors' championship since 2013. He now has 35 wins and a total of 416 points to lead Red Bull teammate and local hero Sergio Perez on 280 in the drivers' championship, which he clinched on October 9 in Japan. Charles Leclerc of Ferrari is third on 275.

Affected by booing crowd: Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton admitted he had been affected by being booed by sections of the crowd after he finished second behind Max Verstappen in Sunday's Mexico Grand Prix.

The seven-time world champion saluted the big sellout crowd, which created a carnival atmosphere at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodrigues, before revealing how "awkward" he had been made to feel.

Speaking during the post-race interviews, the Mercedes driver said: "This has been an amazing crowd, but definitely a bit awkward this time around.

"Boos all day, but nonetheless I have so much love for Mexico and for the people here -- and what a great race event they put on this weekend."

His experience at the Mexico City venue followed a similar outburst of booing in Austin the previous weekend when Verstappen was booed and jeered and continued a trend in crowd behaviour at certain F1 venues in recent years.

Hamilton had been hoping to take advantage of circuit conditions that suited his car to win for the first time this season and extend his record of taking at least one victory each season since his debut in 2007.

He said he had been close to Verstappen during the first part of the race before pitting to switch from medium compound tyres to "hards."

"But I think the Red Bulls just clearly too fast today and ultimately they had the better tyre strategy," he explained.

"I'm not sure it was the right tyre at the end. I thought we should have started on the soft, but obviously we had the opposite tyre.