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Verstappen feared his Mexico race was over as the Safety Car came out

Conceptual AI-generated editorial motorsport illustration; not a documentary photograph or evidence that a pictured event, meeting or transfer occurred. · 2026-11-04GPBeat newsroom · News Made Clear generated illustration

Max Verstappen said the Safety Car came out just after he passed the pit entry on lap 43, leaving him unable to pit. He said a later red flag reset the race; he went on to win by 0.799 seconds.

From the GPBeat newsroomPublished · · 1 min

Max Verstappen feared his Mexico City Grand Prix was over when the Safety Car came out just as he passed the pit entry on lap 43, leaving him unable to pit. “There's no way this is happening now,” he recalled after the race.

Valtteri Bottas's crash at the end of the long main straight brought out the Safety Car while Verstappen led Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton made it into the pits, but the race was soon red-flagged for barrier repairs; tyre changes were allowed during the stoppage.

Verstappen said the red flag “reset everything.” After the second standing restart, he kept the lead ahead of Hamilton and then held off Ferrari through a further Safety Car period, winning by 0.799 seconds for his 74th career victory.

Sources 01
  1. SOURCEMax Verstappen reveals major F1 'game over' disbelief: 'This is not happening'RacingNews365 English