Max Verstappen wins in Mexico to increase Formula 1 championship lead over Lewis Hamilton

Max Verstappen won the Mexican Grand Prix to move 19 points clear at the top of the drivers’ championship as Lewis Hamilton finished second.

A chaotic start to the race saw Verstappen take the lead through Turn One from third on the grid with pole-sitter Valtteri Bottas tagged by Daniel Ricciardo who had to pit for a new front wing.

Sergio Perez led the race for a spell after pit stops by Verstappen and Hamilton to become the first Mexican driver to lead a lap at the Mexican Grand Prix, but Red Bull soon pitted him for new tyres.

While a chaotic first lap hinted at further drama to come, large parts of this race were something of a procession as Mercedes struggled for the pace needed to close the difference on the Red Bulls.

However, Perez chased down Hamilton over the last 10 laps or so, much to the enjoyment of the home crowd. The Mexican driver couldn’t pass the seven-time world champion, though, as Hamilton stayed second over the line.

This could prove to be the weekend that Verstappen took a firm grip on the title race, but Perez deserves recognition for his race. The Mexican proved to be the perfect teammate for the Dutchman, challenging Hamilton all the way for second place. The pressure of the expectation from the home crowd could have crushed Perez. Instead, it appeared to embolden him as he produced one of his best performances and results of the season.

1/71 - Lights out! Chaos! Verstappen takes the lead from Hamilton, Bottas looked to get tagged by Ricciardo and there are yellow flags out. A very busy start to this race!

31/71 - Lewis comes in! It's a new set of hard tyres for Hamilton and it hasn't gone to plan with the seven times world champion rejoining the race behind Leclerc in P5.

34/71 - Verstappen is in! The Dutch driver comes out in P2 and that means Perez is leading the race. He is the first Mexican driver to lead a Mexican Grand Prix. However, it's advantage to Verstappen here.

41/71 - Perez comes in! Finally, Perez comes in after a good stint at the front of the pack and the Mexican rejoins the race in third place. He will be turning his attentions towards Hamilton.

71/71 - Perez is still on Hamilton! Does the Mexican have the grip to get around Hamilton? Of course, the seven times world champion is one of the best defensive drivers around! This won't be easy.

Verstappen takes the chequered flag! This could be a massive weekend in the drivers' championship as Verstappen wins! He was utterly dominant. Hamilton takes second place. Perez is on the podium for the Mexican Grand Prix.

"These guys are obviously too fast for us," Hamilton said after just 24 laps of this race. The seven-times world champion has a habit for playing mind games over the team radio, but this was an insight into the mind of a driver not used to lacking the equipment to attack a rival.

There weren’t many to choose from, but certainly the most consequential overtake came in the opening lap when Verstappen got the better of Bottas and Hamilton to come out of Turn One in the lead. There was no catching him from that point on.