Max Verstappen has climbed into new spheres of Formula 1 in the high air of Mexico and has snatched a remarkable record from Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel. Thanks to his excellent tire management, the world champion secured an unchallenged victory at the Mexican Grand Prix and, with his 14th win of the season, set the new record for the most victories in one year.
“14 wins, what a season,” Verstappen radioed to his crew after crossing the finish line. Schumacher (2004) and Vettel (2013) each had 13 victories in their best years. However, due to the different number of races in one year, the records are only comparable to a limited extent. In 2004 there were 18 races, in 2013 there were 19, the current season ends after 22 races in Abu Dhabi.
In the 20th and third to last race of the 2022 season, Verstappen relegated the record world champion Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes and his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez to their places. In the atmospheric Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, the podium finish of local hero Perez was particularly celebrated. Mercedes, still waiting for their first win of the season, made up ground behind champions Red Bull in a duel with Ferrari for a lucrative second place in the Constructors’ Championship.
Sebastian Vettel also missed the top ten
Mick Schumacher staying with the Haas team is becoming increasingly unlikely after another disappointing result. After a botched qualifying, the 23-year-old did not get past 16th place and clearly missed out on the points, also because he was hampered by problems with the brake cooling. Vettel didn’t get the top ten result he had hoped for either. The four-time world champion, who retires after the season, struggled with the stubborn Aston Martin and finished just 14th.
Verstappen called up his performance on the spot in qualifying and clearly pushed the Mercedes duo, which had dominated in practice, from pole. Starting position one came as a bit of a surprise after the previous impressions. At Mercedes, however, they weren’t unhappy at all, the long straight up to the first corner was seen as an advantage. “I think we’ll have more chances if we come from behind. We’ll attack fully,” announced Mercedes Motorsport Director Toto Wolff before the start. In the end, according to Wolff, “the Red Bull with Verstappen is the best car.”
The Dutchman proved that when the traffic light went out. Verstappen got off to a good start on the soft tires and used the speed advantage up to the tricky first corner. Behind him, Hamilton pushed past his teammate George Russell, who was also at a disadvantage against Perez. Verstappen did not put a large gap on Hamilton. Still, even on the degrading tyres, the World Champion managed to keep his British rival outside the DRS window.
After 26 laps, Verstappen switched to medium tires. Hamilton swapped four laps later for the more durable hard compound – with which Hamilton later struggled. “This tire isn’t as good as the medium,” he radioed annoyed to the pits. The fact that he had been on the soft compound for longer than expected proved to be a bargaining chip for Verstappen for the rest of the race. A second stop would have cost victory given the Mercedes strategy. But Verstappen was also extremely careful with the second set of tires and drove towards the record.