Max Verstappen of Red Bull stated he was able to focus on using his car’s pace after making a critical pass at the start of the Mexico City Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen of Red Bull believes a double pass on the first lap of the Mexican Grand Prix allowed him to take advantage of the RB16B’s inherent speed.

Verstappen got a great start after qualifying third and took advantage of the slipstream to overtake the two Mercedes cars entering Turn 1. He nipped crossed the line to take a lead over title challenger Lewis Hamilton, picking his braking point precisely.

He was untouchable from there for the rest of the race, finishing more than 15 seconds ahead of Hamilton.

“It was nice to be three-wide and it was all about trying to brake as late as you can,” Verstappen said after the race.

“I kept it on the track and went from third to first and that was basically what made my race, because then I could just focus on myself. We had incredible pace in the car, so I could do my own thing.

“It was actually quite straightforward, so that’s really nice.”

Verstappen not quite thinking about the title

With four races remaining and Verstappen’s championship lead up to 19 points, the Dutch driver conceded that things are starting to go Red Bull’s way.

“It’s a long way to go, but it’s looking good,” he said.

“But, also, it can turn around very quickly. I’m looking forward to Brazil, I’ve lots of very good memories there.”

Verstappen claimed that having the support of the Mexican fans made the event special.

“It’s incredible,” he added. “Having Checo [Perez] as a teammate, coming here to Mexico is amazing. But even before that already, all the time the fans here have been incredible. It’s really, really nice to be here.”

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