The weekends follow one another and look alike for Max Verstappen. The driver of the Red Bull team won a 14th Grand Prix in 2022 in Mexico on Sunday, a record for success in a single Formula 1 season.
Starting in pole position, the Dutchman was well ahead of the Briton Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) and the local of the stage, the other Red Bull of the Mexican Sergio Pérez, for the 20th round out of 22. “14 victories, it’s incredible ! “savored the double champion, unstoppable, who finished 15 seconds ahead.
Senna’s record in sight
George Russell (Mercedes), who started 2nd but was overtaken in the first corners by his team-mate Hamilton and by Pérez, finished 4th, ahead of the Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, who performed poorly this weekend.
Assured of the title from Japan two races ago, Verstappen won his 34th victory there. At 25, he is the 6th most prolific driver in F1 history and has his sights set on Brazilian legend Ayrton Senna and his 41 successes.
Red Bull, titled among the constructors last Sunday in Austin, continues on its own. Unbeatable for nine races now with a last defeat on July 10 in Austria (Leclerc), it behaves better on the track than off, after being sanctioned for having exceeded the 2021 budget ceiling. The team has won 16 of the 20 races disputed, counting the two of Pérez.
In front of a crowd won over to his cause, Pérez would have liked to add a third. Carried by the “Checo! Checo! from his raging supporters, especially in the deafening Foro Sol stadium, the Mexican could not do better. He consoled himself all the same by overtaking Leclerc in 2nd place overall.
The favorable percentage of “Schumi”
In front of the 395,000 spectators who came to fill the stands since Friday, the race looked like a long procession with Verstappen at its head. In the pantheon of victories during the same season, the pilot now exceeds the Germans Michael Schumacher (2004) and Sebastian Vettel (2013), tied with 13 successes.
On the percentage of victories on the other hand, “Schumi” remains in the lead for the moment with 13 victories out of 18 races. It will therefore be necessary to do the accounts at the end of the season to see who “really” holds the record. Verstappen, whose hunger for victories knows no bounds, still has two opportunities to shine: Brazil (November 13) and Abu Dhabi (November 20).