RED BULL’S Max Verstappen celebrated a dominant win in the Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday to surge 19 points clear of Lewis Hamilton in the F1 championship. His teammate Sergio Perez finished third to become the first Mexican driver to reach the podium in the history of the race. Hamilton finished second and had to fight off Perez at the end to hold on there. Verstappen earned his ninth win of the season, second in a row and third career victory in Mexico City. The 24-year-old Dutchman is chasing his first career championship. Hamilton is seeking a record eighth title, including the last four in a row. The British driver is currently tied with Michael Schumacher for most in F1 history. Hamilton and teammate Valtteri Bottas pulled a big surprise in qualifying when the Mercedes teammates earned their first front-row lockout of the season. Bottas was on pole, Hamilton second and Verstappen and Perez in third and fourth. Their advantage didn’t last through the first corner. Verstappen bolted off his line at the start and used the slip stream behind Bottas to snatch the lead into the first corner. Bottas, meanwhile, got tapped by McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo and his car spun, dropping him to the back. Verstappen, who started third after struggling in qualifying, now leads Hamilton by 19 points with four races left in the season. (SD-Agencies) | 