Max Verstappen dominates Mexican GP to set record for wins in a season

Max Verstappen won the Mexican Grand Prix with another dominant performance for Red Bull at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, sealing his place in F1 history with a new win record for a single season.

He comfortably beat the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and his teammate Sergio Pérez into second and third. With his 14th win this year Verstappen has secured the record as the driver with the most victories across a single F1 season. In 20 races he has surpassed the tally previously held by Michael Schumacher, who took 13 from 18 races in 2004 and Sebastian Vettel, who took 13 from 19 in 2013.

Verstappen has reached it with two races remaining and there is no reason he cannot close out with more victories, such is his dominance in these final stages.

This was a processional affair, however. Mercedes tried their best with a valiant effort on an alternate tyre strategy that did not pay off against the pace of the Red Bull, with Verstappen unchallenged at the front of the field. The Mercedes gamble on taking hard rubber over Red Bull’s medium was a hopeful play but with the degradation not as severe as expected they could do nothing to take the fight to the world champion.

After a weekend when Mercedes had presented perhaps their best challenge this season, Verstappen and Red Bull met it almost with insouciance. In the thin air of Mexico City Mercedes’ issue with drag was not as severe but Verstappen still held a real advantage in race pace and he duly exploited it ruthlessly, and managed his tyres to perfection.

His team have not been defeated since the Austrian GP – nine races in a row – another record for the team, who have won 16 from 20 this season. The furore over their budget cap breach cast a shadow over the weekend, with Red