It was 14 seconds, one corner and incalculable inches – the discrepancies that told the story of a one-horse season. For Max Verstappen, starting third, it was a clinical case of threading his Red Bull through the eye of two Ferraris for the lead in the Mexican Grand Prix – en route to the 51st win of his career to go level with a French magician called Alain Prost. For the world champion’s team-mate Sergio Perez, the first corner was his last. The stats continue to salute that nuclear force, Verstappen, who beat Lewis Hamilton into second place. It took Prost 199 starts to reach 51 wins; it has taken Verstappen 182. The last of Prost’s victories came at Hockenheim in 1993, when he was aged 38; Verstappen turned 26 last month. At the resumption, Verstappen was leading, with Lelcerc second and Hamilton third. He started the race sixth, went up to fifth when Perez went into the sky and was well-placed throughout.

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