Two dramatic accidents occurred at the Formula 1 race in Mexico on Sunday evening. Home favorite Sergio Perez (33) and Dane Kevin Magnussen (31) emerged unscathed – while Max Verstappen (26) won as he wanted.
This victory means that Verstappen equals the number of legend Alain Prost’s 51 Grand Prix victories.
Only Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel have now claimed more Grand Prix victories than Verstappen, who has long secured the 2023 World Cup title as well.
Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton was second, followed by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr.
And so the two events happened:
Round 1: Sergio Perez crashed as Charles Leclerc entered the first turn of the race.
– I saw the opening – and I went for it intensely. “I knew it was a risk,” Sergio Perez says.
– There was simply no room for three cars, continues the Mexican.
-I’m disappointed, but I’m proud that I tried. And the viewers are with me.
Leclerc expressed his regret that Perez had to part ways – but said:
– I didn’t do it intentionally. I had nowhere to run.
Round 33: Kevin Magnussen suddenly loses control of the car and crashes into a barrier at high speed. He quickly got out of the car but was clearly shaken. Replays show that a fracture in the left wheel suspension was the reason for his exit.
– Magnussen hit himself on the hand. Maybe he couldn’t take his hands off the wheel before it crashed? Wondering Viaplay commenters.
The car was completely destroyed, and a red flag was needed to clean it up. The Great Dane was routinely taken straight to a doctor’s examination. From there, the doctor’s bulletin came very quickly that all was well – and he eventually returned to the Haas garage.
Ferrari had the entire front row with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz – after an exciting qualifying. It was the first time since Monaco in 2022 that the Reds had the top two starting positions.
But Max Verstappen, from third best, went straight into the lead. There was no excitement about the win, not even when there was a red flag and the restart of the race after Kevin Magnussen’s accident.
The Dutchman achieved his 16th win of the year. It’s a new record. He was 15 years old last year.
– A show of force by Verstappen, says Henning Esdal on Viaplay.
Surprisingly, Daniel Ricciardo had 4th at the start. The AlphaTauri driver started very well, but after 11 laps he had to see himself overtaken by Lewis Hamilton. Ricciardo eventually finished seventh.
Fernando Alonso went without points for the second race in a row. After a great start to the season, Alonso and Aston Martin are struggling this fall. Lance Stroll also had to break loose.
The race was held in Mexico City, at an altitude of more than 2,000 metres. It created unfamiliar challenges for teams in the air.
– It’s been a kind of tire economy race, says Viaplay expert Henning Esdal.
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