MEXICO CITY (AP) — It quickly became clear that this would be the season Max Verstappen would set the record for most Formula 1 wins.
It was never a question of whether the Dutchman would win 14 races.
It was only a matter of when.
And now? By how much will Verstappen end up breaking the mark he shared with Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel?
Verstappen set the F1 record for wins in a season on Sunday at the Mexico City Grand Prix with his 14th victory of the season. He broke the record set by Schumacher in 2004 and equaled by Vettel in 2013.
Verstappen only shared the mark with the Germans for a week after winning last Sunday at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas. Coupled with victories in Miami, Montreal and now Mexico City, Verstappen has swept the North American portion of this year’s F1 calendar.
Just another day for Verstappen.
“I was never really interested in statistics,” Verstappen said. “I always live in the moment. I try to do my best every weekend. I try to win races and that’s the most important thing. I’m not very interested in following all the stats It’s been an incredible season and we’re happy to win.
Verstappen retained his F1 world championship with four races remaining in the season, won the constructors’ championship for Red Bull with three races remaining in the season and has two more races to completely demolish the single-season win record.
Red Bull have won nine consecutive races, equaling the team record set in 2013. The team have won 16 of 21 F1 races this season with Verstappen and Sergio Perez winning in Monaco and Singapore.
Lewis Hamilton finished second for the second consecutive week. He might have had a chance for his first win of the season, but Mercedes made the wrong call in a tire change that gave Verstappen control.
“We didn’t choose the right tire strategy in hindsight,” Hamilton said. “Nevertheless, being so close to Red Bull makes me very proud of my team. We are getting closer to the front, and we will continue to attack. hopefully we will continue like this for the last two.”
Perez finished third at his home track for the second straight year – earning deafening cheers even though a Mexican driver is yet to win at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
Perez was beset by adoring fans all week upon his return. It started with a demo race in his hometown of Guadalajara before he arrived on the circuit, where Perez was swarmed by crowds as soon as he entered the paddock.
He had to take a back route to the Red Bull garage every track session, as drivers and teams complained for most of the weekend that spectators who had purchased access to the paddock were too aggressive.
But fans love their native driver, and before the race Perez drove around the track in the back of a convertible Volkswagen. He often held his hand over his heart to show his appreciation to the more than 120,000 fans.
“Honestly, it’s been amazing,” Perez told the crowd in Spanish after the race. “Thank you for all the support you have given me this weekend. You are amazing, the best fan base. Thank you.”
The three-day weekend sold out in two minutes earlier this year, and the three-day crowd of 395,902 beat the mark set last year of 371,779. F1 also said ahead of the race that she had extended her contract with the race – often voted the most popular among fans – until 2025.
The day belonged to Verstappen, who started from pole and won for the 34th time in his career. He held the lead at the start as Hamilton passed team-mate George Russell for second and Perez also passed Russell.
Hamilton might have raced for the win and was the leader when he pitted and Mercedes went with the harder, more durable tire compound. Verstappen had a softer, faster tire and Hamilton lacked the speed to fight for the win.
Hamilton still has two chances to avoid the first winless season of his career.
Pierre Gassly, meanwhile, picked up two more penalty points for knocking Lance Stroll off the track and the Frenchman is now one penalty point away from a one-race suspension.
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