Max Verstappen increases lead over Lewis Hamilton with victory in Mexico City Grand Prix

Mexico Metropolis – Max Verstappen cruised to victory on the Mexico Metropolis Grand Prix on Sunday, forcing defending champion Lewis Hamilton to confess the Purple Bull automobile “is much superior.”

Hamilton completed second in his Mercedes after holding off a late cost from Purple Bull’s Sergio Perez.

“Their automobile is much superior this weekend and there was nothing we may actually do about it,” Hamilton stated.

Verstappen, who grabbed the lead on the primary nook, completed 16.555 seconds forward of Hamilton, with Perez simply over a second additional again.

The Dutchman elevated his lead over Hamilton on the planet championship standings to 19 factors with 4 races left.

“There’s nonetheless an extended solution to go,” Verstappen stated. “It’s in fact trying good, but in addition it might probably flip round in a short time.”

Pierre Gasly completed fourth in an AlphaTauri and was adopted by the Ferraris of Charles LeClerc and Carlos Sainz.

Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas and Hamilton each began quick, however Verstappen charged across the outdoors of Bottas as the 2 Mercedes headed into the primary aspect by aspect.

The three vehicles went into the nook abreast, however the Purple Bull got here out first.

“It was good three huge and it was all about simply making an attempt to brake as late as you may,” Verstappen stated.

“I saved it on the monitor, got here from third to first and that was principally what made my race as a result of I may simply give attention to myself, and we had unimaginable tempo within the automobile.”

As Hamilton tried to chase down Verstappen, Bottas went right into a spin.

“Somebody hit me and precipitated me to spin,” he complained on staff radio after rejoining the race in final place.

The responsible occasion was Daniel Ricciardo, who got here charging in from the fourth row.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was sad on the approach Verstappen bought by way of.

“That ought to not occur,” Wolff stated. “We had two vehicles in entrance and appeared to opened up the ocean for Max to return across the outdoors. The spin afterwards when there may have been a 3rd or fourth place is annoying to say the least.”

The collision on the entrance despatched ripples down the pack as Yuki Tsunoda and Mick Schumacher each went off.

The protection automobile got here out, permitting Ricciardo and Bottas, who finally completed in fifteenth place, to pit for repairs.

Verstappen rapidly constructed a lead over Hamilton, with Perez third, when the racing resumed.

Purple Bull’s pit-stop technique allowed Perez to take the lead on the thirty third lap.

Because it dawned on the large crowd {that a} Mexican was main, they rose of their seats, roaring and waving flags.

“I may hear the gang coming by way of the stadium part, it was fairly unimaginable,” Perez stated.

After Perez lastly pitted, he got here again in third place and resumed his pursuit of Hamilton.

The group roared once more when Perez caught up on the 61st lap, however he couldn’t discover a well past.

“It reveals how briskly their automobile is when Sergio is that shut behind me and in a position to comply with that carefully,” Hamilton stated.

Perez nonetheless earned the primary podium end by a Mexican driver within the race.

Wolff stated the Purple Bulls have been simply sooner.

“Their tempo was on one other degree,” he stated. “I don’t suppose we may have gained even when we’d stayed forward on the first nook. They may have pushed circles spherical us.”