Mexico City Grand Prix 2021 - Race Schedule and Countdown

Max Verstappen cruised to a dominant victory at the Mexico City Grand Prix, extending his championship lead to a commanding 19 points with just four races remaining. The Dutchman's emphatic performance at the high-altitude Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez put him firmly in control of the title race as the season entered its final phase.

Despite Valtteri Bottas claiming pole position for Mercedes, Verstappen executed a perfect start to seize the lead into Turn 1, utilizing Red Bull's superior straight-line speed to blast past both Mercedes drivers on the long run to the first corner. Lewis Hamilton also overtook Bottas, but the Finn's race unraveled when he made contact with Daniel Ricciardo at Turn 1, sustaining damage that compromised his afternoon. Verstappen and Hamilton then engaged in another fierce battle, with the Dutchman's controlled pace and Red Bull's high-altitude advantage proving decisive.

Sergio Perez delighted his passionate home crowd with a podium finish in third place, though he couldn't quite challenge the leaders. Hamilton finished second but the gap to Verstappen was significant, while Bottas claimed fastest lap after recovering from his early incident. The victory marked Verstappen's ninth win of the season and put him in a dominant position heading into Brazil. With Red Bull's package clearly superior at high-altitude circuits and Mercedes struggling to match their pace, the championship appeared to be slipping toward the 24-year-old challenger.