Max Verstappen dominated the 2023 Formula 1 Mexican Grand Prix, securing his 16th win of the season, breaking his own world record set last year for the most F1 wins in a single year. He seized the lead at Turn 1, where a dramatic collision between his teammate Sergio Perez and Ferrari pole-sitter Charles Leclerc took the former out of his home grand prix.
From the start, Verstappen made a blistering getaway, overtaking both Ferraris as they stumbled off the line. The Dutchman expertly manoeuvred between Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, claiming the inside line for Turn 1.
Sergio Perez, Verstappen's teammate, executed an impressive start, positioning himself on the far left of Verstappen and Leclerc. Perez's momentum allowed him to draw level with the two leading cars of Leclerc and Verstappen.
However, as Verstappen swung slightly back to the left just before the turn-in point, Leclerc became trapped between the two Red Bull RB19s. This unfortunate turn of events led to contact, propelling Perez up into the air and out of the race with significant sidepod damage. Leclerc's Ferrari also suffered a broken front wing endplate but managed to continue.
Verstappen quickly reclaimed the lead, opening up a 1.5-second advantage at the end of the first lap of the 71-lap race.
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Over the following laps, Verstappen gradually extended his lead over Leclerc. By the end of lap 11, he had built a three-second gap. Leclerc, too, began to pull away from his teammate, Sainz.
Daniel Ricciardo, who had qualified a stunning fourth in his AlphaTauri, initially held off Lewis Hamilton, but the Mercedes driver used DRS and executed a late inside move into Turn 1, similar to Verstappen's earlier overtake on Leclerc. By the time Verstappen had reached a 4.6-second advantage, Hamilton had moved into second.
Verstappen made his first pit stop at the end of lap 19, rejoining the race from the back but swiftly making his way back to the podium positions. Mercedes attempted to undercut Sainz by bringing Hamilton in for hard tires from behind on lap 24.
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As Leclerc continued to pull away while managing his damaged car, Ferrari opted for a strategic move. They decided to stay out and create a tire offset against Red Bull and Mercedes. This allowed Verstappen to regain positions.
Verstappen managed to retake the lead from Sainz with a DRS-assisted run to the inside of Turn 1 on lap 30. This move reestablished his dominance, giving him a 16.8-second lead.
However, the race was significantly disrupted on lap 33 when Kevin Magnussen crashed at Turn 9. The high-speed crash was attributed to a sudden rear suspension failure, likely due to overheating components. This incident required a red flag stoppage.
The barriers at Turn 9 needed assessment and repair, leading to a 22-minute delay before the second standing start. Verstappen pitted for hard tires just before the full neutralisation was activated.
The race resumed with a standing start, with Verstappen leading the way. On this occasion, the Red Bull driver retained his lead comfortably, leaving Leclerc and Hamilton in his wake.
Leclerc tried to defend against Hamilton's attempts to overtake. But on lap 40, Hamilton executed a late move to the inside on the run to Turn 1, even dipping his right-hand side wheels onto the grass. This audacious manoeuvre took him up to second place.
As the race entered its final stages, Verstappen maintained his lead of over 10 seconds, with Hamilton comfortably ahead of Leclerc, despite Ferrari's predictions that their tire strategy would soon swing the balance in their favour.
Ultimately, Verstappen claimed victory with a lead of 13.8 seconds over Hamilton. Sainz finished in fourth place, followed by a remarkable performance from Lando Norris, who secured fifth after starting the race in 17th.
Ricciardo, despite a shaky start, finished in seventh, scoring AlphaTauri's best result of the season. Norris completed a strong recovery drive, while Piastri, Albon, and Ocon secured the remaining points.
Aston Martin had a challenging race, with both Alonso and Stroll retiring. Valtteri Bottas survived a late collision with Lance Stroll and finished ahead of Zhou Guanyu.
