Power Rankings after the Mexican GP: Lewis Hamilton overtakes Max Verstappen!
- Bobby Vincent
Lewis Hamilton won his 10th race of the 2019 season on Sunday in Mexico - very much on his way to his sixth Drivers' title in Formula 1 - and now he's overtaken Max Verstappen to claim the number one spot in F1's Power Rankings.
Hamilton can clinch his sixth world title on Sunday in the United States, and that's not the only thing he's top of! The five-time world champion has managed to overtake Verstappen in the Power Rankings, and here's why:
"Sound the klaxon - it's all change at the top. It's been coming for a while, but in Mexico, Lewis Hamilton finally swept into the Power Rankings lead for only the second time this year (the other came after France) off the back of a race-day display that demonstrated his masterful ability to manage his pace and tyres - even if he didn't sound so convinced on the radio," a Formula 1 judge wrote.
"That earnt him a near-perfect 49 (race rating), his joint-best score of the year, along with Monaco and France."
For Verstappen, it was a typical incident-packed race, with the Dutchman and Hamilton clashing right at the start of the race. Verstappen then fell down the grid and in his bid to get back up there, he went for the overtake on Valtteri Bottas and received a puncture for his troubles.
"Before the summer break, Max Verstappen didn't score less than 40 points in a race - and twice scored a full 50. Post the summer break, however, he's taken a 40+ score just twice in six races," the F1 judge carried on.
"And having taken a 36 in Mexico - the Dutchman loses the top-spot in the Power Rankings that he's held since Austria, doubtlessly not helped by his qualifying penalty."