Verstappen says Ferrari fight opened route to Mexico City win

Max Verstappen turned a fifth-place start into his third win of the season at the Mexico City Grand Prix, saying Ferrari’s fight between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc gave him a chance to move forward.

An incident with Liam Lawson and a lock-up in qualifying left Verstappen fifth, but a strong start lifted him to third on the opening lap. He moved into second after an off-track moment involving Hamilton and Leclerc; Leclerc later received a five-second penalty for leaving the circuit and gaining a lasting advantage.

Red Bull brought Verstappen into the pits at the same time as Leclerc, and Verstappen passed his penalised rival for the lead, which he held to the finish. Afterwards, he said Ferrari had made it harder for themselves by fighting each other and credited Red Bull with the right strategy.

Verstappen also said Ferrari were fast and Hamilton stayed close enough that he could not afford a mistake. He beat Hamilton by just 0.799 seconds.