Now, that is how you rescue a weekend. Starting down in fifth on the grid after a messy Qualifying session that featured a badly-timed lock-up and an incident with Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson, Max Verstappen fought his way to a fantastic victory at the Mexico City Grand Prix. It was his third win of the season, and it came courtesy of pure opportunism when it mattered most.
Everything turned on a blistering getaway. Verstappen launched off the line and vaulted straight to P3 on the opening lap, immediately putting himself into striking distance. Up ahead, an off-track moment involving Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc handed the Red Bull machine a golden ticket into second place. Leclerc was later slapped with a five-second time penalty for leaving the circuit and gaining a lasting advantage, opening the door wider still.
Red Bull played the pit wall to absolute perfection. Calling Verstappen in at the exact same time as Leclerc allowed the team to execute the undercut, bypassing the penalised Monegasque during the stop and inheriting a lead that the Dutchman would protect all the way to the chequered flag.
"We gave it everything," Verstappen said after pipping Hamilton by just 0.799s at the line. "The first start was good – that, of course, already made my race. I think the team also really gave me the right strategy to pit together with Charles and then overtake him in the pit stop because of the penalty. Then it was just fighting to the end, because I think Ferrari today were really fast. I do think they made it a little bit difficult for themselves, fighting each other, and that’s why I could capitalise on that. I mean, I’ll take it, right? I always try to go for every opportunity and today I saw the opportunity. It was a cool fight until the end – Lewis was flat-out in my gearbox so I couldn’t afford to make a mistake."
Keeping the chasing pack behind him was no picnic. Verstappen had to survive two nervy restarts brought out first by Valtteri Bottas’ suspension failure, and later by a crash involving Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri after the pair made contact. Hamilton camped right in his mirrors for the duration, applying relentless pressure.
That fierce defence carries huge weight in the standings. With Kimi Antonelli having already sealed his maiden title, the battle for P2 in the Drivers’ Championship shifted directly in Verstappen's favour, leaving him two points ahead of Hamilton.
Reflecting on the grueling nature of the venue, Verstappen noted: “It’s always so difficult around here, this track, to get everything right. It’s so slippery as well, and never easy to feel super confident with the car. We come out of it with a win, so that’s fantastic. We just keep learning from our weaknesses, our strengths, and apply that also for next year.”
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