Five talking points from a boisterous Mexican GP

Verstappen aces the first turn

Just look how late Verstappen was on the brakes into Turn 1. That was it right there, where Max made the difference and put himself in the position to control the race, forget the rest and win as he pleased. At the flag the difference between the two title protagonists was 16.555 seconds, but you got the feeling it could have been more. Verstappen was stroking it for his 18^th F1 victory and a 19-point lead in the standings.

Of course, it isn’t over yet – as Verstappen was quick to point out. “There’s still a long way to go,” he said. “Of course it’s looking good, but it can turn around quickly.” That gap is one point short of the equivalent of a second place for Hamilton and a DNF for Verstappen, and such an occurrence is never out of the question in motorsport, even in F1 today when reliability is generally so strong. But with engine life critical for both Mercedes and Honda, and penalties coming left, right and centre for drivers down the field, it’s not out of the question that either driver could suffer a devastating mechanical failure in one of the remaining races. But if that’s what Hamilton is relying on, and after Mexico it increasingly appears he might have to, his bid is starting to look a little desperate.

It was arguably the case already, but now we know for sure: the 2021 F1 world championship is Max Verstappen and Red Bull’s to lose.

Hamilton vs., er, Pérez

From those early laps Hamilton knew he wasn’t in a race with Verstappen on Sunday. Instead he found himself in defensive mode against the other Red Bull of home hero Sergio Pérez. It was impossible not to be moved by the enthusiasm and emotion that surrounded ‘Checo’ who performed well in front of his adoring public, as Mexico City rivalled Austin’s Circuit of the Americas for the best atmosphere of this remarkable season. But while Verstappen showed Red Bull’s clean pair of heels to Hamilton and Mercedes, Pérez didn’t quite have it in him to deal a further blow and deliver a team 1-2 – no matter how much the partisan crowd cheered him on.

After Hamilton remained in front as Pérez ran long to the pitstops, to the tune of a 12-lap tyre advantage on Pirelli’s hard compound, the chase at least appeared to be on. Pérez loomed large and briefly looked set to get within range for a stab at Hamilton’s second place. But through a bit of traffic – Lando Norris’s McLaren, George Russell’s Williams – the moment passed and it became obvious that Hamilton was never going to be ruffled.

He shrugged off the threat afterwards and made a pointed statement that summed up his feelings about the day. “It shows just how fast this Red Bull is when Sergio is that close behind.” Oof. That sounds harsh and a tad arrogant. But let’s face it: it’s also bang-on true. If Pérez is a threat to Hamilton, that more than Verstappen’s gap at the front rams home just how strong Red Bull-Honda is right now as the end of the season looms into sight.

Another tough day for Bottas

After Valtteri Bottas’s top-draw performance in qualifying to claim a surprise pole position, the Finn was once again out of luck on Sunday. And this time there really wasn’t much he could do about a race that went against him almost from the start.

His initial getaway was decent as he and Hamilton dragged down to Turn 1 side-by-side. But Verstappen followed them, took the outside line and was so much later on the brakes as he swept from third to first it was almost embarrassing. But put yourself in Bottas’s racing boots for a moment. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place: he was smack bang between the two title protagonists, simply had to keep out of Hamilton’s way and absolutely didn’t want to get mixed up in a stormy controversy by clashing with Verstappen. No wonder he was a little too careful on the brakes. Most of us would have been too.

Then when Daniel Ricciardo’s McLaren clipped him and sent him spinning – despite Pérez apparently and oddly putting his hands up for a crime he didn’t commit – Bottas knew he was facing a miserable and long afternoon’s graft. Once he and Ricciardo stopped for repairs and the hard tyres, Valtteri found himself bottled up behind the McLaren and appeared powerless to get past. In the end all he could contribute was stealing fastest lap from Verstappen, not to score a point himself – he was too low down the order for that – but to ensure Max didn’t grab it. That difference kept Verstappen’s gap to Hamilton below 20 points and ensured Mercedes-AMG still holds a one-point advantage over Red Bull. Somehow Toto Wolff failed to recognise the consolation.

Admirable Gasly is best of the rest

He hardly appeared on the screen all afternoon, but Pierre Gasly deserves plenty of credit for an accomplished performance for AlphaTauri in Mexico. The Frenchman qualified a fine fifth and after Bottas was taken out of the picture he ran all the way to fourth place, remaining out of range of the two Ferraris that followed him. Nice drive.

Ferrari gets one over McLaren

Charles Leclerc found himself outqualified by Carlos Sainz Jr. in the red cars, but jumped ahead in the first-corner kerfuffle that beyond Bottas also included a collision that took out Yuki Tsunoda and Mick Schumacher. Ferrari switched its duo around at one stage as Sainz claimed he was quicker, but Leclerc was soon allowed back through to lead a five-six finish. Hardly scintillating stuff, but on a weekend that proved trying at best for McLaren it was enough to give Ferrari a significant edge in their battle for third place in the constructors. Norris could only score a single point for 10^th after his weekend was hit by an engine change penalty, while Ricciardo’s first-corner adventure left him out of the running. Ferrari now holds a 13.5-point lead over McLaren in a battle that might well go down to the wire. After Mexico, the same looks far less likely when it comes to Verstappen vs. Hamilton.

Images courtesy of Motorsport Images.