World champion Max Verstappen is reaching for the next victory and a record in Formula 1.
The Red Bull star secured pole position at the Mexican Grand Prix (Sunday, 9:00 p.m. / Sky) in 1:17.775 minutes on Saturday and has the Mercedes duo George Russell and Lewis Hamilton breathing down his neck. Local hero Sergio Pérez, who was loudly celebrated along the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, finished fourth.
The hunt for times was disappointing for the German pilots, who clocked the same time of 1:20.419 minutes. Mick Schumacher’s fastest lap in Q1 was canceled because he crossed the track barrier, in the end it was only enough for 15th place on the grid. Vettel starts in the Aston Martin in 16th place.
Verstappen would set a record for most wins in a season with his 14th win. Since his triumph in Austin last weekend, he has shared the best with Michael Schumacher (2004) and Sebastian Vettel (2013).
However, due to the different number of races in one year, the records are only comparable to a limited extent. In 2004 there were 18 races, in 2013 there were 19, the current season ends after 22 races in Abu Dhabi.