Lewis Hamilton’s dreams of a record-breaking eighth world championship are hanging by a thread after Max Verstappen outgunned his rival to win the Mexican Grand Prix.
Verstappen delivered the start of starts to blast away from third, and beat Hamilton and pole-sitter Valtteri Bottas on the 355kph stampede to the opening corner.
Mexico City’s Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is 2,285 metres above sea level, and Verstappen’s breathtaking getaway puts him in the driving seat to claim his first title and deny Hamilton further history.
With only four rounds and 107 points to play for, Hamilton, who held off Sergio Perez in the closing stages to finish second, is now 19 points behind.
Hamilton could not believe that Mercedes locked out the front row, but their hard work in qualifying was undone within 800 metres of Sunday’s race.
Starting second, Hamilton’s reaction time might have been 0.003 sec quicker than Verstappen’s, but Bottas allowed his teammate’s chief rival an opening when he left the racing line unguarded.
Verstappen hardly needed the invitation, jinking out of Bottas’ slipstream.
As Verstappen on the left, Bottas in the middle, and Hamilton on the right, arrived for the first corner, the Red Bull racer displayed impeccable courage to stamp on his brakes so much later than both Mercedes drivers.
Verstappen launched his Red Bull at the right hander apex, before hanging on to his machine through the exit. Was that the moment this championship was won?
Hamilton slotted into second, with Bottas’s nightmare start taking another sorry twist when he tripped over Daniel Ricciardo’s front wing and spun in a plume of white smoke.
Yuki Tsunoda and Mick Schumacher crashed out as they tried to avoid Bottas. The Mercedes driver and Ricciardo stopped for repairs and the safety car was sent out. Four laps later it was back in the pits.
At the restart, Verstappen blasted his Red Bull through the Foro Sol stadium section, which holds the closing corners of the lap, to cross the line nine tenths clear of Hamilton.
He weaved along the main straight to prevent Hamilton from gaining a tow, but the Briton was never close enough to launch an attack.
By lap eight, Hamilton was already 2.5 seconds behind, and on lap 15, Verstappen’s advantage had doubled to five.
“These guys are obviously too fast for us,” said Hamilton, with Perez now starting to close in on the back of his car. “Can’t pull away from him."
On lap 30, and 10sec adrift of Verstappen, Hamilton stopped for tyres, with the leader following three laps later.
When Perez came in on lap 40, Verstappen regained the lead, with his 10sec advantage over Hamilton restored.
“Let me know where they are quicker, man, where Verstappen is quicker,” said a desperate Hamilton.
“Exit of turn 11 and exit 13,” came the response from Hamilton’s race engineer, Peter Bonnington.
But Hamilton simply had no answer to Verstappen with his mirrors now occupied by the other Red Bull of Perez.
On lap 61, Perez was just 0.5sec behind, with the 140,000-strong crowd roaring their man through all 17 corners, lap after lap.
But Hamilton held his nerve to take the runner-up spot – 16.5sec behind Verstappen – with Perez third.
And with next week’s Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos also expected to suit Verstappen’s Red Bull machinery, the man Hamilton knows time is not on his side.
Pierre Gasly finished fourth for AlphaTauri ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. Bottas crossed the line 15th.
“At the start it was all about just trying to brake as late as I could," Verstappen said after his ninth triumph of the season and his second in a fortnight.
“I kept it on the track, I was first, and that is what made my race, because I could focus on myself because we had the pace in the car.
“It [his first title] is still a long way to go and of course it is looking good, but it can turn around quickly."
“Congratulations to Max,” said Hamilton. “Their car was faster than us this weekend so there was nothing we could do.
“I gave it everything and I had a great fight with Sergio at the end, so I am pleased to get second.
“I have had the pressure many times before, so it was easy to hold on to second, but it just shows how fast their car is when Sergio is that close behind me and able to follow that closely.”
Directed by Sam Mendes
Starring Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay, Daniel Mays
4.5/5
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
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It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
RESULTS
6pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 – Group 1 (PA) $55,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Rajeh, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Musabah Al Muhairi (trainer)
6.35pm: Oud Metha Stakes – Rated Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Get Back Goldie, William Buick, Doug O’Neill
7.10pm: Jumeirah Classic – Listed (TB) $150,000 (Turf) 1,600m
Winner: Sovereign Prince, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby
7.45pm: Firebreak Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Hypothetical, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer
8.20pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 – Group 2 (TB) $350,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner: Hot Rod Charlie, William Buick, Doug O’Neill
8.55pm: Al Bastakiya Trial – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner: Withering, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
9.30pm: Balanchine – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner: Creative Flair, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
