Verstappen Wins Mexican Grand Prix
The Mexican Grand Prix was satisfying for the Dutch Verstappen, as he finished first scording his first championship win by the end of the season.
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Red Bull's Max Verstappen celebrates on the podium after winning the race, Mexico City, Mexico on November 7, 2021 (AFP)
Max Verstappen outshone Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton on Sunday by over 16 seconds, taking the Mexican Grand Prix prize home following his victory.
The 7-time Grand Prix winner, Alexander Hamilton, came in second, winning by a little over one against Sergio Perez - Mexico's first driver to finish in the top three at home.
The Brit and the Mexican had an enticing battle toward the end, which Hamilton himself described as "a great fight." Perez managed to close a large gap between him and Hamilton first to 3 seconds and then to 1.5 seconds at the start of lap 59. He was expected to finish second, but he encountered some traffic, causing some delay.
Hamilton finishing ahead of Perez did not deny Red Bull its double-podium moment, as both Verstappen (1st place) and Perez (3rd place) are Red Bull drivers.
"Of course, I wanted more, I wanted to get a one-two for the team, but I didn't have a single chance to get through," Red Bull's Perez said.
Verstappen's victory was his 9th this season, increasing his total score to 312.5 points.
The Red Bull driver sees that he still needs to be cautious, "There's still a long way to go [in the championship]. It's, of course, looking good but also it can turn around very quickly," he said after his victory, but he remains optimistic, for he is "looking forward to Brazil," where the next Grand Prix will be held.
Red Bull's car was quite distinguished, and the environment where the Grand Prix was held was incredibly helpful for its build. The car was praised by Hamilton after the race, as he said, "Their car is far superior this weekend and there was nothing we could really do about it."
The season altogether is far from over with four races remaining, but will those be enough for Hamilton to outshine Verstappen and get his 8th title, or will the Dutch take his first title home?
It will be tough for Hamilton, for the gap between him and Verstappen is a wide 4 wins, so he needs to perform exceptionally in the upcoming four races in order to tie with Red Bull's number 33 and outperform him in terms of points - a matter deemed quite difficult to achieve by many experts.
