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      ‘Their car is far superior’ – Lewis Hamilton insists he cannot do anything to stop Max Verstappen from nearing F1 title

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      LEWIS HAMILTON admitted he was powerless to close the gap on world championship leader Max Verstappen at the Mexico City Grand Prix.Verstappen triumphed on Sunday as he finished 16.5 seconds ahead of Hamilton in what proved to be a major success for Red Bull as Sergio Perez came third in his country.
      Lewis Hamilton finished second behind Max Verstappen at the Mexico City Grand PrixCredit: Rex
      Lewis Hamilton admitted Max Verstappen’s Red Bull car was “far superior”Credit: Rex
      The British superstar couldn’t catch up with the Dutch driver and admitted his car is “far superior” as he now trails by 19 points in the Formula One rankings.
      Hamilton said after the race: “First, congratulations to Max.
      “Their car is far superior this weekend and there was nothing we could really do about it.
      “I gave it absolutely everything and it was a great fight with Sergio at the end. I was able to at least get second.
      “It shows how fast their car is when Sergio is right behind me and able to follow that closely.
      “He did a great job and he was applying that pressure and just kept going. I really enjoyed the race still.”

      Verstappen gained the lead early on into the race after Hamilton’s Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas lost his lead by spinning at the first corner.
      But the 24-year-old remains focused on the task at hand insisting there is “still a long way to go”.
      Verstappen said: “The start? It was nice, three cars wide, and it was all about just trying to brake as late as you can.
      “I kept it on the track, came from third to first, and that was basically what made my race because I could just focus on myself, and we had incredible pace in the car.
      “There’s still a long way to go in the championship. It’s of course looking good but it can also turn around very quickly.
      “I’m looking forward to Brazil next week. I have very good memories there.”
      Hamilton’s ex-team-mate Rosberg reveals why he couldn’t drive two laps in F1 car More

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      F1 Mexican Grand Prix race LIVE RESULT: Verstappen WINS as Hamilton holds off Perez for big second place – race reaction

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      MAX VERSTAPPEN has won the F1 Mexican Grand Prix to extend his F1 World Championship lead.Valtteri Bottas led Lewis Hamilton in a one-two after qualifying but Verstappen managed to squeeze past both drivers at the start
      And to make matters worse for Toto Wolff’s team, Valtteri Bottas spun after being tagged by Sergio Perez.
      However the stewards have adjudged the move to be a racing incident and opted against punishing Perez in his home Grand Prix.
      And Hamilton was almost pipped for second by the Mexican but crucially managed to hold Perez off for his World Championship campaign.
      Follow ALL the action with our live blog below…

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      PEREZ SUCCESS
      Red Bull star Sergio Perez enjoyed tremendous success at the Mexico City Grand Prix.
      Perez made history as he became the first Mexican driver to score a podium in his hometown.
      The star driver was also named Driver of the Day.
      More below:

      TOTO WOLFF REACTS
      “You have to congratulate Red Bull because the pace was just on another level.
      “I don’t think we could have won the race even if we had stayed ahead in the first corner because they could have driven circles around the pit-stops.
      “So in the end I think for Lewis’ [Hamilton] championship it was damage limitation, as for the constructor Valtteri [Bottas] spinning out Turn 1 was just very painful.
      “I don’t know what they did wrong in qualifying and the pace came towards us, but this is the pace we’ve seen on Friday. It’s worse than we had hoped, but we have to take it on the chin”
      MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX
      Has there ever been a more epic podium entrance than this?
      Take a bow Max Verstappen:

      PEREZ REACTS
      “It’s an unbelievable day.
      “Of course I wanted more, I wanted to get a one-two for the team but I didn’t have a single chance to get through.
      “I could hear the crowd coming through the stadium section, it was pretty incredible”
      GETTY IMAGES
      VERSTAPPEN REACTS
      “The crowd is incredible, having Checo [Sergio Perez] as a team-mate coming here to Mexico is amazing.
      “The start? It was nice three wide and it was all about just trying to brake as late as you can.
      “I kept it on the track, came from third to first and that was basically what made my race because I could just focus on myself, and we had incredible pace in the car.
      “There’s still a long way to go [in the championship]. It’s of course looking good but also it can turn around very quickly.
      “I’m looking forward to Brazil, I also have very good memories there”
      GETTY IMAGES
      HAMILTON REACTS
      “Firstly congratulations to Max [Verstappen], their car is far superior this weekend and there was nothing we could really do about it.
      “I gave it absolutely everything and it was a great fight with Sergio [Perez] at the end, I was able to at least get second.
      “It shows how fast their car is when Sergio is that close behind me and able to follow that closely.
      “He did a great job and he was applying that pressure and just kept going… I really enjoyed the race still”
      GETTY IMAGES
      MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX
      Two Red Bull stars make the podium with Verstappen winning the race and Perez finishing third.
      Hamilton made it to second place in a difficult track for Mercedes as Bottas only managed 15th place due to an unlucky start.
      Gasly and Leclerc complete the top five

      LAP 71/71
      Bottas achieves the fastest lap, which means Mercedes do take some comfort.
      That also leads to a point’s deduction for Verstappen, which means his championship lead is now 19 points.
      Four more races remain!
      LAP 71/71
      Hamilton manages to finish second with over 16 seconds behind Verstappen.
      Perez makes history as he becomes the first Mexican driver to score a podium here
      MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX!!!
      Verstappen completes an amazing performance at the Mexico City Grand Prix!
      The Dutchman dominated the entire race even though he started third!
      LAP 70/71
      Final lap!
      Perez needs to dig deep as it is now or never.
      Hamilton still holds on!
      LAP 69/71
      Just two more laps to go!
      Verstappen leads by over 16 seconds with Hamilton fighting hard to prevent a Red Bull one-two!
      Perez is just over a second behind him
      LAP 68/71
      Hamilton clocks up a personal best.
      The Mercedes star’s most realistic goal here is second place
      LAP 67/71
      Verstappen is leading by a whopping 19 seconds at the Mexico City Grand Prix.
      Meanwhile, his Red Bull team-mate Perez is just two seconds behind second-placed Hamilton.
      And Sainz as well as Gasly are fighting for fourth place
      LAP 65/71
      Mercedes have just pitted Bottas again in order to put soft tyres.
      The Finn will be going for the fastest lap in order to take it off Verstappen
      LAP 64/71
      Hamilton continues as he say, “”The car is getting so hot… It’s overheating.”
      Meanwhile, Perez backs off a bit as the dirty air is doing his tyres no good
      LAP 62/71
      Another concerning message by Hamilton who says, “Tyres are giving up”.
      The British star was temporarily stuck behind Norris but immediately moved past him
      LAP 61/71
      The Mexico City crowd are on their feet as Perez is closing the gap with Hamilton as we are set for the final 10 laps.
      The message from Red Bull is clear: “Pace is good, tyres are good, battery is good. Let’s get him”
      LAP 58/71
      Hamilton issues a concerned message as he informs through the radio that the “tyres are wearing”.
      This is while, Perez cuts the distance to 1.5 seconds
      LAP 57/71
      Ferrari have made the swap!
      Ferrari wanted Sainz to replace Leclerc because he has fresher tyres.
      However, Gasly is 12 seconds ahead of them, therefore we’re talking about an ambitious plan here…
      LAP 55/71
      Oh boy, Perez is catching up to Hamilton.
      The two drivers are only three seconds apart!
      LAP 54/71
      Ferrari have informed Leclerc to swap places with Sainz, who is sixth.
      No response from Leclerc yet
      LAP 53/71
      Ricciardo and Bottas continue their rivalry as they battle for 12th place.
      Meanwhile, it keeps getting better for Verstappen who clocked up his fastest lap
      LAP 49/71
      Verstappen is absolutely dominant with over 12 seconds separating him from second-placed Hamilton.
      His Red Bull team-mate Perez is closing in with five seconds separating him from the British driver
      Load more entries… More

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      Max Verstappen tightens grip on F1 title with Mexican GP win after brave first-corner overtake of rival Lewis Hamilton

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      MAX VERSTAPPEN’S brilliant win in Mexico City drove another nail into Lewis Hamilton’s title challenge.It was somewhat fitting that the mega-city was celebrating their Day of the Dead festival – Hamilton’s campaign looks killed off after another hammer blow from Verstappen.
      Max Verstappen beat rival Lewis Hamilton in Mexico to increase his title leadCredit: AFP
      Daniel Ricciardo took pole-sitter Valtteri Bottas out in a first corner melee, leaving Verstappen in the leadCredit: Getty
      The Dutchman pulled off a sensational overtake on Hamilton and pole-sitter Valtteri Bottas at the start – and never looked back.
      In fact, his faultless drive in this race turned it into a zzzziesta rather than fiesta, as he convincingly pressed home his advantage.
      He said: “What a race! Unbelievable pace in the car. A great job, let’s keep it up.”
      Until now, Hamilton and Verstappen had traded places in the championship table, but back-to-back wins for the Red Bull man has seen him open up a 19-point gap at the top.
      Verstappen, who took his third win in Mexico, said it was ‘straightforward’: “It is still a long way to go in the championship, but it is looking good.”
      Mercedes were dumbstruck they had managed to secure a one-two in qualifying. Red Bull had been the quicker car all weekend and it proved to be a false dawn.

      Verstappen made a sensational start from third place on the grid.
      Just a day earlier, he’d said that he preferred qualifying in third, rather than second, as he was on the clean side of the grid.
      And he was proven right.
      He benefited from the slipstream behind Hamilton and swooped to the left and ducked around the Brit and into first place at turn one.
      Bottas was too early on the brakes and Daniel Ricciardo clipped the rear of his Merc, sending him into a spin, dropping the Finn to the back of the field.
      It resulted in chaos behind as Yuki Tsunoda and Mick Schumacher were caught out and sent crashing out of the race.
      Race stewards deployed the safety car as the mess was cleared from the track, but any hopes Mercedes had of seeing Hamilton jump Verstappen at the restart were quickly dashed.
      Verstappen stamped his right foot on the gas pedal in his Red Bull and started powering away from his title rival.
      After just two laps of proper racing, he’d opened up a gap of 2.5 seconds over Hamilton, who simply could not believe his eyes, telling his team over the radio: “He’s quick!”
      By lap 21, the gap was up to 7.5 seconds as ice-cool Verstappen reported that he was having no issues with his Red Bull.
      Verstappen led Hamilton who was followed by Sergio Perez for the majority of the raceCredit: EPA
      Hamilton is now 19 points behind his rival in the drivers’ championshipCredit: AP
      By contrast, Hamilton was already struggling with his tyres, which were beginning to overheat.
      Another disgruntled radio message from the current world champion soon followed as he again told his team: “These guys are obviously too fast for us.”
      Nervous Hamilton soon turned his attention to his mirrors, as Perez’s Red Bull was getting closer.
      Again on the radio, he said: “I can’t pull away from him.” Fearing the worst, Mercedes pressed the button and called in Hamilton for fresh tyres on lap 30.
      The stop was solid from Mercedes but he was released back on to the track behind Charles Leclerc.
      The Ferrari man then pitted, releasing Hamilton, who started lapping quicker than Verstappen although he remained comfortable in front.
      I was just grateful to finish secondLewis Hamilton
      Hamilton’s pace caught the attention of the Red Bull pitwall, as Verstappen was called in for his stop on lap 34.
      It was quick and clean from Red Bull but enough to promote Perez into the lead of his home race.
      The Mexican lapped up the support from his home fans before he too was called in for tyres on lap 40.
      When he made his way back on track, he was third behind Hamilton, while Verstappen had now stretched out a ten-second lead over the Mercedes.
      FIGHT TO THE FLAG
      In a dash to the finishing line, Perez started reeling in Hamilton’s advantage.
      He was within a second with nine laps to go and Hamilton was given a warning that his brakes were overheating.
      Perez too took his time to cool his car in preparation for a last-gasp attempt to dislodge Hamiton from second place.
      But he could not find a way past the Brit, who clung on for second place.
      Hamilton, who sat in his Mercedes for some time after the race in parce ferme.
      He said over the radio: “I gave it everything. I just didn’t have the pace.”
      In his voice, there was the air of resignation. He knows the title is slipping from his grasp.
      He later added: “That car was far superior this weekend and there was nothing we could do with it. I was just grateful to finish second.”
      Lewis Hamilton enjoys action packed break as F1 ace gets pelted by bugs in jeep in wild ride More

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      F1 Mexican Grand Prix LIVE: Race build-up, Bottas on POLE, Hamilton takes second with Verstappen third – latest updates

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      VALTTERI BOTTAS will start on pole position in tonight’s Mexican Grand Prix.The Mercedes driver put in a masterful performance during qualifying, with teammate Lewis Hamilton in second and F1 Driver’s Championsip leader Max Verstappen third.

      TV/Live stream: Sky Sports F1
      Race – TONIGHT 7pm

      Follow ALL the action with our live blog below…

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      WOLFF TALKS
      Toto Wolff hasn’t discussed team strategies with his Mercedes Formula 1 drivers Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton after their front row lock-out in Mexico.
      Mercedes stunned Red Bull by clinching a 1-2 in qualifying at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on Saturday as Bottas secured his third pole of the season.
      And speaking before the Mexican GP, Wolff said: “No, we haven’t discussed [it] because we felt that we were not in a position to consider to talk about.
      “It would have been such a long shot, talking about the victory before qualifying.
      “Obviously the situation is different now, and we are going to address it tomorrow morning, like we always do in the strategy meeting.”
      BIG BAD WOLFF
      Red Bull boss Christian Horner has labelled Toto Wolff a ‘pantomime dame’ after the Mercedes chief suggested the title race may be decided by a remake of the ‘Senna-Prost’ 1990 crash.
      And Wolff believes that either Verstappen or Hamilton might do a ‘Senna-Prost’ by taking the other out.
      The pair have come to blows a couple of times this season already at both Silverstone and the Italian Grand Prix.
      In Italy, Hamilton had a lucky escape with the halo saving him from being crushed underneath Verstappen’s car.
      Horner responded: “Look, we all know that Toto has a lot to say but I was quite flattered to be called a protagonist, if you look at the definition of what it means.
      “You need an antagonist to have a protagonist and one could say perhaps Toto fills that role pretty well.
      “If it were a pantomime, maybe the pantomime dame role might suit him. But it is all about what goes on on the track and it is a great competition between the teams.
      “It is no-holds barred, it is pit-walls against pit-walls, drivers against drivers, engine suppliers against engine suppliers, chassis against chassis. It is fantastic and we are loving it.
      “Occasionally you are going to get some flak thrown at you but you take it with a pinch of salt and sometimes even as a compliment.”
      MAX MYSTERY
      Max Verstappen has revealed why he thinks his Red Bull team finished behind Mercedes going into the Mexican GP.
      He said: “I think we just were really slow and just [had] terrible grip in Q3.
      “I think my last lap we recovered that a bit just [by] getting the tyres into a little bit [of] a better window.
      “But [it’s] still not to what we would have liked, and how the car has been behaving in all the practice sessions, so that’s a bit of a mystery.
      “But then we [will] mainly race on different tyres anyway, so I expect the balance to be good again.”
      DOUBLE TEAM
      Lewis Hamilton wants to double up with Mercedes pal Valtteri Bottas to stop Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in the Mexico GP.
      While comparing Mexico to Russia’s GP, Hamilton revealed that he and Bottas will work together to stop Verstappen from clinching victory.
      He said: “It feels exactly the same sort of length but obviously, in Russia there’s a lot more drag and a lot more tow-effect.
      “Here there’s less but still there is a tow effect and so you know, Valtteri and I will no doubt work as a team to try and hold one-two for the team.”
      BOTTAS SUPPORT
      Valtteri Bottas has confirmed he will support Lewis Hamilton’s F1 championship charge at the Mexico City Grand Prix should circumstances allow.
      He said: The first thing I need to focus on is the race start, do my best and speak with Lewis on how we can maintain the lead as a team and how we can keep the Red Bulls behind,” said Bottas.
      “Then we will see how the race situation will be. I still am 100 per cent sure that there could be a circumstance where I could still win the race, I believe in that and I hope for that.
      “If not, then I will support Lewis and get the maximum points for the team.”
      VERSTAPPEN BLAME
      Red Bull star and World Championship leader Max Verstappen admitted he blames teammate Sergio Perez and AlphaTauri rookie Yuki Tsunoda for ruining his chance at pole position at qualifying for the Mexican Grand Prix.
      He said: “It seemed like through qualifying the balance went away a little bit.
      “Then actually on the last lap I was on for a good lap. I don’t know what happened in front of me but there were two guys going off, so I thought there was going to be a yellow flag.
      “So I back out and then of course you know the lap is destroyed.
      “Even with that, and with not having great balance, I think we could have still gone for that pole lap.”
      NEVER GIVE UP
      It was a frustrating day yesterday for Mexico’s own Sergio Perez.
      He starts in p4 today.
      On yesterday, he said: “I feel frustrated because we had more and I was hoping to give them a better result. Tomorrow I’ll take each of you in my car!”
      RACE DAY
      Goooooooood morning, it’s race day!
      Mercedes will start in P1 and P2 today, with championship leader Max Verstappen in P3.

      BOTTAS IS ON POLE
      Hamilton takes second.
      Verstappen third.
      Mercedes did have the pace.
      VERSTAPPEN CANNOT IMPROVE
      He is third
      FLAG OUT
      Perez goes off track. And Mercedes are going quicker.
      FINAL RUNS
      THIS IS GOING TO BE CLOSE. TV replays showing Verstappen’s Red Bull has a pit of tape on his rear wing. He’s complaining of a lack of rear grip.
      FIRST RUNS COMPLETE
      Bottas takes provisional pole. Hamilton in second. Wow.
      Verstappen in P3 and Perez in P4.
      Could the Finn upset proceedings?
      FIVE TEAMS HAVE ALL THEIR DRIVERS INTO Q3
      Red Bull, Mercedes, McLaren, Ferrari and AlphaTauri.
      Q2 IS DONE – HAMILTON QUICKEST FROM VERSTAPPEN
      Vettel, Raikkonen, Russel, Giovinazzi and Ocon all out.

      IN THE DROP ZONE
      Are Vettel, Russell, Ocon, Giovinazzi and Raikkonen.
      VERSTAPPEN TOPS Q2
      But Hamilton is just 0,016 seconds behind the Red Bull man. This is close. Game on.

      Q2 IS GO – THE FIGHT TO GET INTO THE TOP 10 IS ON
      Russell will be hoping to make it into Q3 to lessen the blow of that 5-place grid penalty for taking a new gearbox.
      Q1 IS DONE – ALONSO IS ELIMINATED
      The two-time world champion is out. Latifi, Schumacher and Mazepin, plus Stroll, who crashed, are all out at the first hurdle.
      FIRST RUNS AND RED BULL MAKE IT 1-2 IN THE EARLY RUNNING
      It is looking all too comfortable for them. Are Mercedes struggling, or playing a waiting game?
      GREEN LIGHT
      We are go again in Mexico. A small problem for Sainz but he is going again in his Ferrari.

      PITLANE IS FULL
      The drivers are eager to get going again after Stroll’s accident.
      FIVE MINUTE WARNING
      The qualifying session will resume soon following Stroll’s accident.
      GETTING CLOSE TO RESTARTING THE ACTION
      Stroll’s car getting removed from the track.

      RED FLAG – CRASH FOR STROLL
      He has had a big crash, he is ok. He’s lost it on the straight, but the session is stopped while they clean up the track.

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      Horner slams ‘pantomime dame’ Wolff for suggesting Hamilton vs Verstappen rivalry may be decided by ‘Senna-Prost’ crash

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      RED BULL boss Christian Horner has labelled Toto Wolff a ‘pantomime dame’ after the Mercedes chief suggested the title race may be decided by a remake of the ‘Senna-Prost’ 1990 crash.Max Verstappen leads seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton by 12 points with just five races to go.
      Wolff says ‘whoever is in front [on points] is absolutely going to try to do the same as in the Senna-Prost years’Credit: GETTY IMAGES
      Hamilton was saved by the halo on his car at MonzaCredit: GETTY IMAGES
      And Wolff believes that either Verstappen or Hamilton might do a ‘Senna-Prost’ by taking the other out.
      The pair have come to blows a couple of times this season already at both Silverstone and the Italian Grand Prix.
      In Italy, Hamilton had a lucky escape with the halo saving him from being crushed underneath Verstappen’s car.
      Horner responded: “Look, we all know that Toto has a lot to say but I was quite flattered to be called a protagonist, if you look at the definition of what it means. 
      “You need an antagonist to have a protagonist and one could say perhaps Toto fills that role pretty well.
      “If it were a pantomime, maybe the pantomime dame role might suit him. But it is all about what goes on on the track and it is a great competition between the teams.
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      “It is no-holds barred, it is pit-walls against pit-walls, drivers against drivers, engine suppliers against engine suppliers, chassis against chassis. It is fantastic and we are loving it.
      “Occasionally you are going to get some flak thrown at you but you take it with a pinch of salt and sometimes even as a compliment.”
      Horner went on to express his disappointment in Wolff for his comments.
      He continued: “I was disappointed to read comments condoning this. We want a fair fight between now and the end of the season. Any driver would want to win it on track.
      “We are a racing team and aiming to win the constructor title and we also want to pull off the feat without a collision between our drivers.
      “Austin [a nail-biter won by Verstappen a fortnight ago to give him a 12-point lead] was a great race and we want a few more Austins before the end of the year. Nobody wants this decided in a gravel trap.”
      Hamilton’s ex-team-mate Rosberg reveals why he couldn’t drive two laps in F1 car More

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      F1 Mexico Grand Prix race: Start time UK, TV channel, live stream and full schedule

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      MAX VERSTAPPEN leads rival Lewis Hamilton in the F1 World Championship race as they go into the last five races of the 2021 season.Last time out, Red Bull stunned Mercedes by undercutting them with a perfectly executed early pit stop as Verstappen took a surprise chequered flag ahead of Hamilton in the United States.
      Lewis Hamilton has it all to do if he wants to close a 12-point gap on Max VerstappenCredit: Splash
      Mexico City’s altitude makes Verstappen the favourite for the raceCredit: Alamy
      And Christian Horner has already stated that his team are more confident of victory in Mexico and Brazil than they were in Texas two weeks ago.
      Horner said before the race in Austin that he expected the altitude of Mexico City and Interlagos to play into Red Bull’s hands.
      But Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has warned that Hamilton will stop at nothing to become the first ever eight-time F1 world champion.
      He told Mail Plus: “If it was to come to the scenario of the last race in Abu Dhabi, and they were to be racing each other for the title, whoever is in front is absolutely going to try to do the same as in the Senna-Prost years.
      “What happened in Monza? Verstappen took Lewis out, because he was about to overtake and he was quicker. And that is totally understandable.
      “If you are racing for the championship and you see it fading away because the other guy is overtaking you, what other tool have you got other than the one that makes sure he can’t overtake?
      “We’ve seen it with Schumacher and Villeneuve, we saw it with Senna and Prost twice.
      “I don’t think you can control it, I don’t think you want to control it because they are the gladiators in their machines.
      “You wouldn’t want to have calmed the gladiators in the arena 2,000 years ago. We will not interfere.”

      🏁 F1 2021 calendar: practice times, dates and racetrack info
      What time does the F1 Mexican Grand Prix qualifying start?

      The F1 Mexican Grand Prix race weekend takes place from Friday, November 5 to Sunday, November 7.
      Practice One was held on Friday at 5.30pm UK time with Practice Two following at 9pm..
      Practice Three takes place TODAY at 5pm UK time (11am in Mexico).
      The battle for pole was won by Valtteri Bottas, who will start ahead of Hamilton and Verstappen on the grid.
      The Mexican Grand Prix race will be held TODAY at 7pm UK time (1pm local time).
      All the action takes place at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City.
      Last year’s Mexican Grand Prix was cancelled due to Covid restrictions but Lewis Hamilton ran out winner in the 2019 race.

      What TV channel is the F1 Mexican Grand Prix on and can I live stream it?

      Sky Sports F1 will host the entire F1 Mexican Grand Prix race weekend.
      To stream it live, head to your Sky Go account.
      Non-Sky Sports subscribers can still watch all the action with a Now TV Day Pass from £9.99.

      F1 Mexican Grand Prix schedule
      Friday
      Practice One – 5.30pm
      Practice Two – 9pm
      Saturday
      Practice Three – 5pm
      Qualifying – 8pm
      Sunday
      Race – 7pm More

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      Valtteri Bottas clinches Mexican GP pole and Lewis Hamilton in second with title rival Max Verstappen slipping to third

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      MAX VERSTAPPEN blew his top after seeing Valtteri Bottas take pole position in Mexico.Verstappen and his Red Bull team-mate, Sergio Perez, had looked unstoppable all week, as they had dominated practice.
      Valterri Bottas claims pole in Mexico, his third of the seasonCredit: Reuters
      Bottas beat Lewis Hamilton (left) into first place
      However, Bottas sprung a surprise result as Mercedes found their pace with Lewis Hamilton taking second on the grid, alongside Verstappen.
      It means the two title contenders are poised for another nail-biting fight into turn one on Sunday – but the Dutchman was far from happy.
      The Red Bull man was on a flying lap when both Perez and Yuki Tsunoda both went off track ahead of him.
      Verstappen fumed over the radio: “Unbelievable! Such a dumb idiot!” And Red Bull boss Christian Horner added: “”I think we got Tsunoda’d”.
      Verstappen later added: “I don’t know what happened. I think Yuki held some people up and then both went off.
      “But I just saw a lot of dust and thought a car crashed, so I expected a yellow flag and backed out of it.

      “It was unfortunate and not a great place after being so competitive the whole weekend.
      “We are still not as we would like and the car has been behaving, so we are on different tyres, so hopefully the balance will be better.
      “It just seemed like through qualifying the balance went away a little bit, but actually the last lap I was on for a good lap.
      “Even with that and not having a great balance I think we could have still gone for that pole lap.
      “Of course third is not amazing but I think it’s still better than starting second.”
      Verstappen’s final comment is interesting given title rival Hamilton starts in P2.
      Hamilton said he could not believe his team were able to seal a front-row lockout after being on the back foot all weekend.
      He added: “We came into this weekend and we have been behind by half a second. We have been working away at trying to improve the car.
      “We have struggled in certain parts of the track, so it is a surprise to see us on the front row, but we will take it.
      “We have been behind and all our results over the practice sessions show we are behind Red Bull, so who knows what will happen in the race.
      “Track position is key here, so we will work as a team to preserve it.”
      The qualifying session in Mexico was delayed following a big crash for Lance Stroll, meaning the barriers needed to be repaired.
      The Aston Martin man is one of a host of drivers taking new engine components, triggering a number of grid penalties that will be totted up to give a final grid formation one-hour before today’s race.
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      F1 Mexican Grand Prix LIVE: Bottas on POLE, Hamilton takes second with rival Verstappen third – latest updates

      by

      LEWIS HAMILTON is going in all guns blazing this weekend in his pursuit for F1 Championship glory as the drivers make their way to Mexico. The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City will host proceedings over the next couple of days as Hamilton looks to chase down title rival Max Verstappen.

      TV/Live stream: Sky Sports F1
      Race – SUNDAY, 7pm

      Follow ALL the action with our live blog below…

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      BOTTAS IS ON POLE
      Hamilton takes second.
      Verstappen third.
      Mercedes did have the pace.
      VERSTAPPEN CANNOT IMPROVE
      He is third
      FLAG OUT
      Perez goes off track. And Mercedes are going quicker.
      FINAL RUNS
      THIS IS GOING TO BE CLOSE. TV replays showing Verstappen’s Red Bull has a pit of tape on his rear wing. He’s complaining of a lack of rear grip.
      FIRST RUNS COMPLETE
      Bottas takes provisional pole. Hamilton in second. Wow.
      Verstappen in P3 and Perez in P4.
      Could the Finn upset proceedings?
      FIVE TEAMS HAVE ALL THEIR DRIVERS INTO Q3
      Red Bull, Mercedes, McLaren, Ferrari and AlphaTauri.
      Q2 IS DONE – HAMILTON QUICKEST FROM VERSTAPPEN
      Vettel, Raikkonen, Russel, Giovinazzi and Ocon all out.

      IN THE DROP ZONE
      Are Vettel, Russell, Ocon, Giovinazzi and Raikkonen.
      VERSTAPPEN TOPS Q2
      But Hamilton is just 0,016 seconds behind the Red Bull man. This is close. Game on.

      Q2 IS GO – THE FIGHT TO GET INTO THE TOP 10 IS ON
      Russell will be hoping to make it into Q3 to lessen the blow of that 5-place grid penalty for taking a new gearbox.
      Q1 IS DONE – ALONSO IS ELIMINATED
      The two-time world champion is out. Latifi, Schumacher and Mazepin, plus Stroll, who crashed, are all out at the first hurdle.
      FIRST RUNS AND RED BULL MAKE IT 1-2 IN THE EARLY RUNNING
      It is looking all too comfortable for them. Are Mercedes struggling, or playing a waiting game?
      GREEN LIGHT
      We are go again in Mexico. A small problem for Sainz but he is going again in his Ferrari.

      PITLANE IS FULL
      The drivers are eager to get going again after Stroll’s accident.
      FIVE MINUTE WARNING
      The qualifying session will resume soon following Stroll’s accident.
      GETTING CLOSE TO RESTARTING THE ACTION
      Stroll’s car getting removed from the track.

      RED FLAG – CRASH FOR STROLL
      He has had a big crash, he is ok. He’s lost it on the straight, but the session is stopped while they clean up the track.

      GREEN LIGHT FOR QUALIFYING
      Latifi is the first out on track in his Williams, as qualifying gets underway in Mexico.

      ESTEBAN OCON TAKES A NEW ENGINE
      The Frenchman joins the long list of drivers taking a penalty this weekend.
      FP3 IS DONE
      Plenty of work for Mercedes

      PEREZ TOPS THE SESSION
      Verstappen in second. Hamilton in third but a whopping 0.651 seconds behind the Mexican.
      HAMILTON STUNNED TO LEARN OF THE GAP TO THE RED BULLS
      He is told by his race engineer: “P3 at the moment, it’s six-and-a-half tenths to Perez.” He replies in disbelief: “Six-and-a-half tenths?!”
      HUGE CHEERS IN MEXICO
      Serio Perez takes P1 with four minutes to go. His Red Bull teammate has just started his flying lap.
      PLENTY OF WORK GOING ON AT RED BULL
      The mechanics are working on Verstappen’s car in the team’s garage. Eight minutes remaining of this session.

      SPIN FOR LECLERC
      The Ferrari man is the latest driver to lose control on the dirty track. He’s in P4 and there are 16 minutes remaining.

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