James Hinchcliffe pinpoints trick Max Verstappen is ‘so good at’ that frustrated Lewis Hamilton in Mexico

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Max Verstappen was up to his usual antics in Mexico on Sunday, with former IndyCar star James Hinchcliffe highlighting one area of his racecraft that he is ‘so good at’.

As the front-running car to start on the alternative strategy, Verstappen had to bide his time during his opening stint at the Mexico City Grand Prix as it became clear that the soft tyres were the optimal compound of tyres in racing conditions.

That didn’t stop him from getting the elbows out on the cars around him, however, with Verstappen engaging in a battle with his long-time nemesis Lewis Hamilton, which saw the latter come away with a 10-second time penalty.

F1 fans felt Hamilton’s penalty was harsh, but according to the rules, the seven-time world champion had clearly failed to follow the race director’s instructions as he illegally rejoined the track after a skirmish at turn four.

READ MORE: Fred Vasseur shares his verdict on Max Verstappen avoiding a penalty for Lewis Hamilton clash in Mexico

James Hinchcliffe pinpoints what Max Verstappen is ‘so good at’ in wheel-to-wheel battles with F1 rivals

The first corner of the Grand Prix was absolute chaos upon the drop of the five red lights, with the Red Bull star being joined by a number of drivers in the run-off areas as the grid vied for room to manoeuvre at the opening chicane.

Many have called for the FIA to change the ruling on how leaving the track and gaining an advantage penalties are applied, a rule that, according to Hinchcliffe, Verstappen nailed during his various detours off the racing line.

Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, the Canadian touched upon the Dutchman’s weekend as he assessed his expectations heading into the weekend versus the result that was claimed.

He said: “I think if you asked Max on Thursday, ‘Hey, you’re going to be third. Lando’s going to win. Oscar is going to be fifth.’ He would be dissatisfied with that result.

“If you talk to Max on Friday, this is how it’s going to be, or even Max this morning, he’d be like, you know what? I’ll take it. I’ll take that because ultimately, it is still a smaller gap to first place in the championship.

“So, they did still make ground. He didn’t beat both McLarens today for the first time since Monza, but he still beat one. And for them, it was a good comeback. It, again, without that VSC, it probably was going to be a second place.

“Let’s call a spade a spade. I think he had a much better shot at getting Leclerc than Piastri did at getting Bearman. And the way he did it, he went off track twice, but never copped a penalty.

“He knows the rules so well. And that’s why I think there was so much frustration from Lewis’s standpoint. He’s like, ‘I watched him do this twice, and he got nothing. I do it once and I get a 10-second penalty.’

“But there are differences in how those two situations played out. And Max has always been so good at knowing those differences and making sure that he comes out on the right side of it. So, credit to him.”

READ MORE: Max Verstappen says winning the 2025 title wouldn’t surpass his biggest F1 achievement

Max Verstappen was beaten by a McLaren for the first time since the Dutch Grand Prix in August

Lando Norris’ win in Mexico City marked the first time that the Brit has led the F1 standings since his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri took control of the championship after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in April.

The victory for the Woking-based constructor also marked the first time that Verstappen had been beaten by a McLaren car since the Dutchman’s home Grand Prix, five race weekends ago.

Heading into the race weekend in Central America, Verstappen had emerged as a favourite to win the 2025 F1 title despite the fact that he was trailing the championship-leading Piastri by 40 points.

The four-time world champion’s title hopes took a blow in the final laps of the race, when a virtual safety car was brought out whilst he was hot on the back of Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari for second place.

Verstappen missed a ‘huge’ opportunity to further eat into the deficit he currently has in the championship standings. He currently sits 36 points behind Norris in the table.