Max Verstappen secured victory at the 2026 Mexican Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver navigated a challenging race weekend marked by multiple incidents and strategic decisions. This win was his third of the 2026 season.
Verstappen’s weekend began with a one-place grid penalty. This was issued after contact with Liam Lawson during Free Practice 2. Both drivers sustained car damage in the incident.
Despite the penalty, Verstappen qualified fourth. He was initially faster than Lewis Hamilton in his final qualifying attempt. However, traffic, specifically Lando Norris, impeded his lap in Turn 13.
The grid penalty meant Verstappen started the Grand Prix from fifth position. He was the sole driver in the top ten to begin the race on medium compound tyres. Most rivals opted for soft tyres.
Verstappen made a strong start, overtaking both Mercedes drivers by Turn 1. He then became involved in a battle between Ferrari teammates Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. Leclerc cut Turn 4 after an overtake attempt on Hamilton.
Verstappen immediately demanded Leclerc return the position. He expressed frustration when no immediate action was taken. “If I was the one leading, I would have already received a penalty. What a f*cking joke!” he stated.
Leclerc later received a five-second time penalty for the incident. Verstappen questioned the penalty duration, noting, “I thought all new penalties would now be ten seconds.” Hamilton was already more than five seconds behind Leclerc.
Throughout the race, Verstappen reported recurring engine braking issues. He also complained about a “surge” in power delivery and a light rear end. His engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, confirmed limited solutions.
The race saw a Virtual Safety Car for Lance Stroll’s incident. This was followed by a full Safety Car and then a red flag after Valtteri Bottas crashed his Cadillac. Bottas’s front suspension failed.
During the Safety Car deployment, Verstappen missed the pit entry. He voiced significant frustration with the timing of the Safety Car.
“It is really bullshit that they do it like this. Sometimes they wait half a lap to send out the safety car and now they do this. Fantastic!”
The race restarted with a standing start. Verstappen maintained his lead despite contact with Hamilton in Turn 1. Hamilton remained within one second for much of the final stint.
A second Safety Car was deployed after Oscar Piastri and Arvid Lindblad collided. Piastri’s MCL40 was involved in the incident with the Racing Bulls driver.
Verstappen ultimately held off Hamilton to secure his third win of the season. Meanwhile, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, driving for Mercedes, clinched his maiden F1 World Championship by finishing ninth.
Red Bull Team Principal Laurent Mekies praised Verstappen’s performance. He highlighted the driver’s ability to manage various race conditions, including safety cars, red flags, and tyre strategies.
Verstappen acknowledged the difficulty of the win. He described it as “one of the most hard-fought victories.” He also congratulated Antonelli on his championship success.
