Horner praises 'rocket ship' Verstappen asset

Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner has praised the "rocket ship" start that Max Verstappen managed to achieve at the start of the Mexican Grand Prix.

Verstappen went from third to leading the race into the first corner, after a good initial getaway from his grid slot and made his way past Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc.

Horner felt the mix of climactic conditions and Verstappen's reaction enabled him to exploit the most out of his start.

"Starts haven't been our strongest asset this year, but certainly the three starts we had today were all rocket ships," Horner told media, including RacingNews365.

"On this day in history, with the conditions, the tarmac, the altitudes and everything the guys got it just right."

Verstappen 'not nervous' after Perez incident

Verstappen managed to stay out of trouble at the start when his teammate Sergio Perez collided with Leclerc, forcing him out of his home race with substantial damage.

The Dutchman drew on experience to deal with the tight run down to the first corner, which is one of the longest on the calendar.

"[I was] not nervous at all. It's not the first time that I've been two-wide or three-wide into Turn 1 here," said Verstappen.

"But also we all trust each other and we're all on the limit, braking into the corner, but it was all fine.

"I saw on my outside that something happened. But luckily, on the inside, we could stay out of trouble."