Lewis Hamilton denied title win despite taking top spot in Mexico GP
LEWIS HAMILTON claimed a brilliant victory in the Mexico Grand Prix.
But the Brit will have to wait until Sunday’s US GP to retain his world title.
This was a faultless display from the Mercedes ace, who defied the odds and tyre boffins with a single-stop strategy — despite almost coming a cropper on the FIRST lap.
Hamilton’s win, a tenth of the season, was controlled but his team-mate Valtteri Bottas’ third- place finish means he will have to wait for a sixth F1 crown.
The 34-year-old congratulated his team over the radio on his slow-down lap saying: “What a fantastic job.
“That was a hard race. Thanks for all your support, guys.”
The reigning champion added: “Today was an incredible result and the guys have continued to work incredibly hard.
“We came here thinking we were on the back foot, knowing it was a difficult race for us — but we pulled through.
“I had quite a bit of damage on my car so the race was a bit of a struggle.
“I kept my head down and it seemed like a long second stint. But I’m so grateful for today.
“I don’t mind waiting for the championship. I love racing and I take it one at a time.
“This is a race I’ve wanted to win for some time — so I’m incredibly humbled by this opportunity.”
The race got off to an explosive start as Sebastian Vettel squeezed Hamilton down the first straight, sending the Brit veering towards the wall into turn one.
It resulted in Hamilton then tussling with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen going into turn two — as the pair of drivers made contact.
Verstappen was left trundling across the grass while Hamilton himself only narrowly avoided a collision with Vettel, who was just in front.
Dutchman Verstappen was in the thick of it again just a few laps later when he tried a bold overtaking manoeuvre on Bottas in the stadium section.
Verstappen clearly had the bit between his teeth following his three-place grid drop from the previous day.
Having taken pole, he made brazen comments about ignoring the yellow flags to signal Bottas’ crash.
His big mouth landed him in trouble with the race stewards, who unsurprisingly took a dim view of his attitude, and slapped him with a penalty.
And he was dealt another blow when his audacious attempt to pass Bottas backfired and he hit the Mercedes man, causing him to puncture his own rear tyre.
All of which was no concern for pole-sitter Charles Leclerc, who started building his lead over Vettel until he was called in to pit for tyres at the end of lap 15.
It was an early call from the Italian team — and Mercedes responded by calling in Hamilton at the end of lap 23.
Ferrari then tried to bring in Vettel on lap 25, only for the German to again debate the decision with the team and decide to stay out on track.
Mercedes’ early call and Vettel remaining out sent Hamilton into a panic, as he exchanged radio messages with his team telling them he thought they made the wrong decision.
On lap 29 he radioed in saying: “It feels like we stopped way too early”. A lap later, he added: “We stopped too early. We have a long way to go on these tyres, man.”
Hamilton’s concerns were justified, for Vettel eked out his tyres to lap 37 before stopping for fresh rubber, giving him the advantage at the end of the race.
Vettel’s mission was clear, to hunt down Hamilton to the line yet there was no way that the Mercedes man was giving up this fight.
He continued to match Vettel’s lap times without burning away his tyres.
It was wonderfully controlled and there were no mistakes or lock-ups that could have cost him dearly.
And he continued to keep the hammer down right until the finishing line, despite racking up 44 laps on the hard tyres.
It means he will win the title in Austin if he scores four points — and that is only if Bottas takes the maximum 26.
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Meanwhile, fellow Brit Lando Norris, 19, was forced to retire on lap 50 after his McLaren team badly bungled his pitstop.
Norris was sent on his way, despite the front left wheel not being tightened.
He then had to stop at the end of the pitlane, only for his red-faced mechanics to push him back to the pits.