Hamilton all set for Mexican standoff
● Fresh from a thrilling grand prix in Texas, the teams and drivers make an immediate trip south to Mexico City for today’s showdown at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. Lewis Hamilton made history there last year and he could well do it again if he secures his fifth world championship.
Hamilton could have achieved that fifth title in Austin had he outscored chief title rival Sebastian Vettel by eight points. But a masterclass from race winner Kimi Raikkonen and a superb drive from Max Verstappen meant the Briton had to make do with third place, extending his lead over his German counterpart by a further three points.
Hamilton will take his fifth world championship with two races to spare if the Mercedes driver scores five points, which means finishing at least seventh.
The Briton is 70 points clear of Vettel, who must win all three remaining races to have any chance.
Title-clinching scenarios: 1.
Hamilton champion if he finishes in the top seven, regardless of what Vettel does. 2. Hamilton champion if Vettel fails to win.
Mercedes are 66 points ahead of Ferrari in the constructors’ championship and on course to wrap up the title for the fifth year in a row. They will need to score 20 points more than Ferrari to do so in Mexico.
Race wins: Hamilton has nine wins this season to Vettel’s five. Daniel Ricciardo has two, Max Verstappen and Kimi Raikkonen one each.
Hamilton has 71 victories from 225 races and is second in the all-time list behind seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher (91). Vettel, third on the all-time list, has 52.
Ferrari’s Raikkonen won in Texas, setting a record for most races between wins (113). His last previous win was in Australia in 2013.
Ferrari have won 235 races since 1950, McLaren 182, Williams 114, Mercedes 85 and Red Bull 58. Former champions McLaren and Williams have not won since 2012.
Pole position: Hamilton has a record 81 career poles; Vettel 55; Verstappen, who turned 21 at the end of September, can still become the youngest ever pole sitter, but time is running out. The current youngest is Vettel, who did it at 21 years and 72 days.
Podium: Hamilton has 132 career podiums and is second on the all-time list behind Schumacher (155). Vettel has 109, Raikkonen 101. Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas has had seven second-place finishes this season.
Points: Every driver on the starting grid has scored this season.
Milestone: Mercedes are one pole position away from their 100th in Formula One. — eurosport.com