PANAJI
Max Verstappen's 14th win of the season at the Autódromo Hermanos RodrÃguez in Mexico earned him the record for a driver with the most wins in a year, a record previously held jointly by Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel (13 wins).
The Dutchman also broke Lewis Hamilton's record for the most points scored in a season as the win in Mexico took his tally to 416 points. Hamilton had picked 413 points in 2019.
Verstappen drove brilliantly to win the Mexican GP in another dominant display. He got off to a great start on the soft tyres which is crucial on the high-altitude track while the Mercedes of Russell and Hamilton started on mediums.
Verstappen managed to fend off Hamilton on the softs extending his stint by 2 laps while the Merc garage believed that a longer stint on the mediums would put them in a better position for a 1-stop strategy. At one point it appeared that the Brackley outfit had played its cards right and that Red Bull were on a 2-stopper. However, the mediums turned out to be the better race tyre as Verstappen went on to clinch the win on 45-lap old tyres while Hamiton who was on the hards finished over 15 seconds behind in second.
With two more races to go in Brazil and the UAE, the 2022 world champion could further add to his winning tally, highlighting Red Bull's superiority under the new regulations. “I never thought I would be able to win 14 races in a year, I am incredibly proud,” Verstappen said after the race. “We’re definitely enjoying it and we’ll try to go for more,” he added.
