“They should actually call it the Maxico Grand Prix!”

Hi racing fans,

Ronald Vording with Motorsport Network here. Welcome back to THE WEEK IN MAX VERSTAPPEN, Motorsport’s newest newsletter dedicated to the four-time champion.

The Mexican Grand Prix will go down in the history books as Kimi Antonelli’s Sunday. The Italian became the youngest world champion in F1 history, and to be fair, it was one of those days when simply being at the track and witnessing everything up close felt special.

In the shadow of those title celebrations, Verstappen claimed his sixth victory in Mexico, or should we start calling it Maxico by now? Before F1 gears up for the final leg of this triple-header, it’s time to look back on a race weekend full of emotions: Kimi on the shoulders of all-time greats, cryptic words about Liam Lawson, and Red Bull learning from Austin.

Check it all out below.

Max and Mexico are a good combination. In fact, after last weekend, the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is now the circuit where Verstappen has won more often than anywhere else, even more than at the Red Bull Ring in the orange enclave of Spielberg.

This year’s victory, however, was anything but straightforward. It started on Friday, normally a rather boring practice day, but not this time. While I – like many others in the media centre – was busy calculating Colton Herta’s superlicence points, two Red Bull teams suddenly came into contact on the big screen: Lawson and Verstappen in the Foro Sol.

Every Friday, three representatives of the written press are selected to conduct the post-practice interviews, and this weekend it was my turn again. When Verstappen arrived in the media pen, there was logically only one subject to start with: the clash. “I don't know what was going through his head, trying to just run me off the track,” Max said. “For me, it's not very smart behaviour when you're in his position, to pick a fight with me.” The frustration grew even further when both drivers were handed a one-place grid penalty later that evening. As Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane rightly said: completely unnecessary.

A day later, more setbacks followed. Verstappen looked on course for pole, but encountered Lando Norris in his path, locked up at Turn 13 and saw a front-row starting position go up in smoke. When he spoke to us during the Dutch media session afterward, he still hadn't forgotten the incident with Lawson. Yes, they had cleared the air that morning, but he stopped short of unequivocally backing Lawson for the Racing Bulls seat in 2027:

"That's always a bit of a problem, when you have a lot of talented drivers and one of them starts doing really well. Are you going to give that driver a chance or not? I'll leave that to the team." Asked for his personal opinion on the matter, Max indicated that he certainly had one, but preferred to keep it to himself: "Yeah, I don't need to say that."

More importantly, Verstappen managed to turn fifth on the grid into victory on Sunday. That included a good strategy call from the team, which had clearly learned from Austin. To capitalise on Charles Leclerc’s time penalty, Red Bull decided to pit immediately as well to gain track position. It worked perfectly, but race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase immediately said over the team radio: “Now we need one of your magical Mexico stints, Max.”

That stint would ultimately include a red flag and a standing restart, but despite starts not being Red Bull’s strongest point, Verstappen held his ground with Lewis Hamilton in his mirrors: welcome back, 2021! The victory marked Verstappen’s sixth in Mexico, prompting him to joke in the post-race press conference: “They should actually call it the Maxico Grand Prix! That would be great.”

Nevertheless, this was above all Kimi Antonelli’s weekend, a very likeable young man who is always friendly in the paddock and can now call himself the youngest world champion in history.

After he clinched the title, Verstappen and Hamilton lifted him onto their shoulders. There is hardly a better way to become world champion than being carried on the shoulders of two all-time greats. Kimi himself realised that too, immediately saying: “I will definitely frame the picture and put it on the wall of my house, so I can see it very well whenever I go in.”

One of the nicest compliments for Kimi came from Max, and it had nothing to do with his abilities as a driver. Instead, Verstappen emphasised how normal, modest and down-to-earth Antonelli has remained. “He's just a normal guy. He doesn't act like he's a rock star or a superstar. He's just very genuine. He has a good heart, and I really appreciate that.”

Asked what quality Antonelli possesses that Verstappen himself didn't have at the age of 20, the latter gave a typical Max answer: “Well, he speaks Italian…”

On a more serious note, though, Max has a lot of respect for Kimi, both as a driver and as a person. Given Red Bull’s current form, it certainly cannot be ruled out that the two will cross paths frequently in the coming years. And let's be fair: that is a fantastic prospect for F1 as a whole.

MOTORSPORT · RONALD VORDING
Red Bull's key strategy call behind Max Verstappen's Mexico win explained
How Red Bull's pit call set up Verstappen's sixth win in Mexico.

MOTORSPORT · RONALD VORDING
Kimi Antonelli wants special photo with Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen on his wall after F1 title
The new world champion wants a tangible memory of sharing the podium with Hamilton and Verstappen.

MOTORSPORT · RONALD VORDING
Max Verstappen clears the air with Liam Lawson, but stays tight-lipped on Racing Bull's F1 seat
The pair talked out their practice clash, but Max won't say who deserves the 2027 seat.

MOTORSPORT · EWAN GALE
Max Verstappen jokes about Daniel Ricciardo's Le Mans ambition: "He's a smart man picking me!"
Ricciardo named his former team-mate in a dream line-up for a tilt at the Le Mans 24 Hours.

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Cheers,

Ronald

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The Week in Max Verstappen is an independent editorial product from Motorsport. It is not affiliated with Max Verstappen, Verstappen.com Racing, or Red Bull Racing.