For a period of around 12 months, Max Verstappen was Lewis Hamilton's only equal in Formula One. He was lightning quick, as always, but had cut out the errors that had blighted his recent record.

But since F1 returned from its summer break in August, mistakes have started to reappear. In Belgium he optimistically lunged down the inside of Kimi Raikkonen at the super-tight La Source hairpin at the race start. He broke his suspension but still tried to drive through the quick Eau Rouge/Raidillon combination flat out. His race ended in the barriers.

A strange Mexican Grand Prix weekend sums up both his best and worst sides as a racer and a competitor. He is arguably the most naturally talented F1 driver of the last two decades, but that talent comes with a rough, abrasive and occasionally impetuous edge.

First, the best. Attempting a hat-trick of wins at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, the Dutchman put in two stunning laps to end qualifying fastest, two tenths of a second ahead of Charles Leclerc. It seemed to come from nowhere but it showed Verstappen's habit of delivering the absolute best from his machinery.

Next, the worst, and it is unfortunately a longer list. Verstappen lost his pole position because he did not lift off under yellow flags after Valtteri Bottas crashed ahead of him at the end of qualifying. In fact, not only did he not lift, he set his fastest final sector three time and overall lap time after passing the crash.