Max Verstappen powered to a record 14th win of his championship-winning season as the Red Bull driver roared to victory at the Mexican Grand Prix.
The Dutchman matched Formula 1®'s single-season wins record shared by Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel when he snatched a 13th success last week in Austin at the United States Grand Prix, and in Mexico City, he went one better.
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Many in the crowd were willing on Verstappen's Mexican teammate Sergio Perez, but he had to settle for third place and another podium, a repeat of his result last year at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
Perez separated the Mercedes cars of Lewis Hamilton, who finished second, and George Russell, who took fourth, with the Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc in fifth and sixth.
It was a race that was bereft of drama, and the tone was set from the start. It was clean as pole-sitter Verstappen held off the Mercedes pair, with Hamilton nudging ahead of Russell in the early stages and Perez getting between the Silver Arrows as he climbed to third place.
That was how it finished, of course, and there was little to report of any import between the start and finish.
Hamilton had cast doubt on Mercedes' ability to get a first win of the season, and despite taking second and fourth, they never really looked like rivalling Verstappen for the win.
Three-quarters of the way through the race, Hamilton asked his team whether he was running on the wrong tyres and was told by the Mercedes garage they were confident in their strategy. At the finish, he again cast doubt on team tactics.
He had also pointed to power drop-offs. At that stage, Verstappen led Hamilton by just over 10 seconds, and Mercedes were counting on the Red Bulls needing second pit stops, but that prospect went away.
Russell complained over the team radio that his tyres were "gone" on the 67th lap but was told "his tyres will be more gone than yours" as he looked to close in on third-placed Perez. Little changed as the drivers remained in the same order through to the finish.
A joyful Verstappen said on team radio, after being congratulated for his record drive: "Double podium as well, that's amazing here in Mexico, well done guys."
The Max and Lewis show rolls on
Verstappen and Hamilton were first and second, but the gap was 15 seconds by the end of the race and it was barely competitive. What the result means, though, is they have now finished first and second in a race on 33 occasions, extending the record they established in Austin.
Red Bull, meanwhile, has stretched their winning streak to nine races, matching a team-best set in the 2013 season when Vettel won the closing nine races of that campaign.
F1®? It's a team game
With Verstappen and Red Bull already having the championships wrapped up, others are jostling for places in the drivers' and constructors' standings.
Mercedes entered this race 53 points behind second-placed Ferrari, with only races in Brazil and Abu Dhabi to come, and they had a strong day, raising hopes the Silver Arrows could yet finish as runners-up. The gap is now down to 40 points.
Ferrari's Leclerc saw his run of five consecutive podium finishes come to an end in a race where he was rarely a factor up front, and he now slips behind Perez in the drivers' standings, falling to third place.
IN THE POINTS
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) +15.186 seconds
3. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) +18.097s
4. George Russell (Mercedes) +49.431s
5. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) +58.123s
6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +68.774s
7. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) +1 lap
8. Esteban Ocon (Alpine) +1 lap
9. Lando Norris (McLaren) +1 lap
10. Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo +1 lap
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Drivers
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 416
2. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) 280
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 275
4. George Russell (Mercedes) 231
5. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 216
Constructors
1. Red Bull 696
2. Ferrari 487
3. Mercedes 447
4. Alpine 153
5. McLaren 146
Simply unstoppable!@Max33Verstappen makes it an extraordinary FOURTEEN wins in 2022, breaking the record for the most wins in a season#2TheMax #MexicoGP pic.twitter.com/TE7mOJ9o4b
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 30, 2022
