Max Verstappen continued his dominance with a record 16th victory of the season at the Mexican Grand Prix on Sunday as Red Bull's world champion drew level with Alain Prost on 51 Formula One career wins.
Starting from third after Ferrari surprisingly locked out the front row of the grid, Verstappen stole the lead at the start and dominated the race, which was punctuated by a lengthy red flag stoppage when Kevin Magnussen crashed heavily in his Haas.
The 26-year-old Dutchman came home 13.875 seconds ahead of a revitalised Lewis Hamilton, who started sixth, with pole-sitter Charles Leclerc taking third place ahead of his Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz. With his 16th victory of the season, Verstappen broke his own record, set last year, for most wins in a single campaign.
Lando Norris finished an impressive fifth for McLaren after an enthralling drive through the field from 17th on the grid, ahead of George Russell in the second Mercedes.
It was Verstappen's fifth win in Mexico and his record-equalling 18th podium finish this year while the luckless Leclerc, who collided with Sergio Perez's Red Bull at the first corner, endured his 11th successive failure to convert pole into a victory.
Perez spun off, recovered and retired, much to the disappointment of his home Mexican fans in a big crowd at the high-altitude Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
"It is just incredible," said Verstappen, who alongside Prost sits fourth in the all-time list for most F1 race wins. "To win from P3, is just amazing. I started P3 and the car was really great. It was a very strong race and now I don't know – more wins, maybe 17 or 18!"
Hamilton, who was disqualified after finishing second in the United States a week earlier, said: "I feel fresh. I was pushing, but not crazy hard. It is a great result, considering we started sixth. This is a great result for us in a difficult few weeks."
Leclerc noticed "a lot of booing" from the crowd and explained his part in Perez's exit.
"I had nowhere to go. I was between the two Red Bulls," he said. "Checo damaged my car and it ended his race. It was not on purpose."
Daniel Ricciardo finished a creditable seventh for Alpha Tauri ahead of Oscar Piastri in the second McLaren, Williams' Alex Albon and Esteban Ocon of Alpine.
Verstappen made a sensational start, powering between the Ferraris to take the inside line after the 800-metre rush from Turn One.
Sensing a chance, Perez went three abreast with Verstappen and Leclerc, but clipped the Ferrari's front wing and bounced off. To loud groans, he rejoined, limped to the pits and retired, beating his steering wheel in frustration while Leclerc continued with a flapping front wing which soon fell off.
The stewards noted he was driving in an "unsafe condition" and decided to investigate after the race.
"I went for it," said Perez, accepting the blame. "There wasn't room for three cars. In hindsight, I should have backed off, but it's my home race."
By lap 20, Verstappen led by 4.6 seconds before pitting for hards, handing the lead to Leclerc.
He rejoined seventh behind Russell and swiftly rose to fifth as his rivals pitted before Kevin Magnussen crashed heavily at Turn Nine to prompt a safety car.
The Dane escaped, apparently unhurt, but his blazing Haas was wrecked, as Verstappen led a charge for cheap pit-stops and retained his lead before the race was red-flagged.
After a 20-minute interlude to clear the debris, the race resumed with a standing start, which Verstappen, on hards, nailed ahead of Leclerc as Hamilton on mediums looked for a gap.
It appeared on lap 40 when he dived inside the Monegasque at Turn One in vintage style to take second.
"It's going to be a tough stint," said Hamilton, assessing his chances as Verstappen pulled four seconds clear and built a comfortable cushion.
Behind them, several entertaining scraps and a dazzling drive by Norris thrilled the crowd, the McLaren driver charging through the field.
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
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The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
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Transmission: Single-speed automatic
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About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
Banthology: Stories from Unwanted Nations
Edited by Sarah Cleave, Comma Press
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
The Florida Project
Director: Sean Baker
Starring: Bria Vinaite, Brooklynn Prince, Willem Dafoe
Four stars
Cinco in numbers
Dh3.7 million
The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown
46
The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
1,000
The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
50
How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
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The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
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The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Match info
Karnataka Tuskers 110-3
J Charles 35, M Pretorius 1-19, Z Khan 0-16
Deccan Gladiators 111-5 in 8.3 overs
K Pollard 45*, S Zadran 2-18
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
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Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
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A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Zidane's managerial achievements
La Liga: 2016/17
Spanish Super Cup: 2017
Uefa Champions League: 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18
Uefa Super Cup: 2016, 2017
Fifa Club World Cup: 2016, 2017
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Where to submit a sample
Volunteers of all ages can submit DNA samples at centres across Abu Dhabi, including: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), Biogenix Labs in Masdar City, NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City, NMC Royal Medical Centre, Abu Dhabi, NMC Royal Women's Hospital, Bareen International Hospital, Al Towayya in Al Ain, NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
Lexus LX700h specs
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
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Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now