Verstappen continues to write Formula 1 history. The 2022 world champion won the Mexican Grand Prix on the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez track on Sunday 30 October. With this 14th victory this season, he signs a new success record in the same exercise, at the end of a race that he has mastered from start to finish. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) and stage local Sergio Pérez (Red Bull) complete the podium, in a “remake” of the top 3 of the 2021 edition.
Starting from pole position, in the lead after the first corner, the Dutchman was never really worried on the track. The Red Bull driver spent most of the race at the front of the peloton, and benefited from the good strategy of his team which had identified the most efficient tires, to take his single-seater to the checkered flag, more than 15 seconds ahead of Hamilton.
A fourteenth success which brings Max Verstappen a little further into the history of the discipline. The Dutchman is now the new record holder for single-season wins, a week after equaling Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel’s previous record in Austin. “It’s been an amazing year so far, and we want to go for more wins this season.”, reacted the world champion just after the finish. The party is almost completely successful for Red Bull, since his teammate Sergio Pérez offered himself a new podium in front of his public.
HISTORY MADE!
Congratulations @Max33Verstappenmore wins in a season than any other driver in F1 history#2TheMax #MexicoGP pic.twitter.com/jeCixbkEa3
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 30, 2022
Yet full of hope after a very good start to the weekend, the Mercedes drivers were quickly condemned to play second fiddle to the Dutchman. Weighed down by the poor strategic choices of their team, which made them return to the pits to pass hard tires which were very difficult to heat up, they were never able to keep up with the pace of the leader. Having come very close to victory last week in Austin, Lewis Hamilton still saved the day by winning another second place on the box, thanks to a better start than his teammate at the very start of the race.
Main challenger of Red Bull and Verstappen this season, Ferrari had a difficult weekend in Mexico. Diminished by a single-seater which did not support the altitude well, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc were never able to get involved in the fight in the lead. They lose big in the driver standings, and drop to sixth and third place respectively, overtaken by Hamilton and Pérez.
️ “Amazing! What a season, what a season…”
Fernando Alonso resigned to the radio after his new reliability problems #MexicoGP pic.twitter.com/sGKYRHFs2k
— CANAL+ F1® (@CanalplusF1) October 30, 2022
The event was also disappointing for Alpine, who lamented another retirement from Fernando Alonso following engine failure in the final laps of the race. Eighth at the finish, Esteban Ocon could not contain the McLaren of Daniel Ricciardo, very fast on its soft tires, the Frenchman finishing just in front of the other orange single-seater of Lando Norris. Enough to keep fourth place among the constructors, but not enough to take off two races from the end of the championship. Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri) finished in 11th position, just outside the points.