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Loser: Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen arrived in Mexico City having won the last three races at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, but the chances of continuing that streak were low after what he described as a “useless” day of practice on Friday.
He delivered a sensational lap in qualifying to sneak second – and even briefly led, but then things started to go wrong.
Two successive incidents with title rival Lando Norris yielded two 10-second penalties that dropped him down the field. He could only recover to sixth and now leads by 47 points – the smallest gap since the Monaco Grand Prix in May.
EXPLAINED: Why the stewards decided to hit Verstappen with not one but two penalties in Mexico
Winner: Lando Norris
Ferrari’s supreme pace in Mexico meant Lando Norris’ hopes of a top-two finish looked bleak heading into the Grand Prix – but some smart racing against Verstappen gave him a shot at a very strong result.
The Briton piled on the pressure on Charles Leclerc, with the Ferrari driver making a mistake at the final corner to give up P2 and while the Monegasque nabbed fastest lap off Norris on the final tour, the McLaren racer still slashed 10 points out of Verstappen’s lead.
It was McLaren’s first podium in Mexico since Ayrton Senna finished third in 1991 and their 19th of the season – their biggest haul since 2007.
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