Hamilton wins in Mexico but must wait for sixth title
REUTERS- Lewis Hamilton won the Mexican Grand Prix for Mercedes after a first-lap scare on Sunday but the Briton will have to wait another week to wrap up his sixth Formula One world championship. Hamilton’s 10th win of the season, and 83rd of his career, was also a 100th for Mercedes as a constructor. The victory stretched his lead over third placed Finnish team mate Valtteri Bottas to 74 points -- making the title a mere formality that will surely be secured in Texas next weekend. “We came here thinking we were on the back foot, knowing it was a difficult race for us, but we pulled through,” said Hamilton, who had not finished on the podium in Mexico for the past two years despite taking his 2017 and 2018 titles there. “I had quite a bit of damage on my car so the race was quite a bit of a struggle,” said Hamilton, referring to the consequences of an opening lap clash with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen that he described as ‘hair-raising’. “I don’t mind (not taking the title in Mexico).
Bottas now has to win in Austin with a fastest lap to stay in the mathematical reckoning while Hamilton need score only four points -- an eighth place -- to be sure of the title whatever his team mate does. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel was a close second with team mate Charles Leclerc, who started from pole position and set the fastest lap but was undone by a twostop strategy and a problem pitstop, fourth. Hamilton made his car’s hard tyres last for 48 laps to the finish on a onestop strategy despite questioning the wisdom of that approach.