Mexican Grand Prix report and analysis
MAX VERSTAPPEN COULD NOT HELP BUT BE FAST IN MEXICO. WITH THE RACE
in the bag, and his Red Bull team monitoring the gap back to Valtteri Bottas, he could only say “I’m really sorry” when admonished for his lap times having stayed the same after agreeing to ease off. At that point, early in the second stint of what was a one-stop race for the first and second place finishers, Bottas still had a vague hope of closing the gap after both had switched from ultra-softs to super-softs. That Verstappen could match or outpace Bottas seemingly without trying tells you everything that you need to know about his supremacy. It was a future champion’s drive on a day when Lewis Hamilton became the champion of the present.
Hamilton should have been part of that lead scrap, and momentarily was. After taking a scintillating pole position, Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel found himself under attack from Verstappen on the outside line into the Turn 1 right-hander.
Vettel pushed Verstappen wide, but not too wide, with the pair making contact out of the ensuing left-hander. Hamilton didn’t need another invitation, going around the outside of both at the Turn 3 right-hander.
Sandwiched between Verstappen and Vettel as he exited the corner, and knowing that this was his best chance to gain a track position advantage, Hamilton wasn’t going to back down. But he had to check up thanks to Verstappen’s compromised exit. Vettel did not react quickly enough to avoid hitting the right-rear corner of Hamilton’s car. The result: Vettel hurried back to the pits for a new front wing, while Hamilton crawled back for a new set of boots as Verstappen charged into the distance ahead of Bottas.
The world championship battle, such as it was, given Hamilton only Vettel circumstances, Suzuka Michael a there moment needed really did, 1989/1990, Schumacher that had been to effectively finish would it a wasn’t championship or in in have Damon the 1994 quite been been top and Hill Alain decided five far at ’97 and more to stake. Prost respectively, clinch Jacques by controversial and a collision. it Ayrton regardless Villeneuve but OK, Senna it had was of in with what the at took suggested the The race, action stewards simply it on was what declared noted deliberate was the deemed it event, to over be“irrelevant”. the but to be radio, neither a racing while investigated He incident. Vettel, focused after Hamilton on nor Hamilton’s a hug in the post-race title, magnanimously TV interview congratulating pen. him with [thinking],‘you “I knew that I couldn’t know what, win I’m the going race, clearly, to have but the best I was race I can possibly have from wherever I am’,”said Hamilton.“i left a lot of room, so I wonder why the dude behind that I was fighting touched me. We’re great drivers, he’s a four-time world champion, it’s quite easy not to hit each other, but in the midst of things it can also be quite easy to touch. So I don’t really care and I don’t feel like analysing it.” Even when forced to analyse it on Sky Sports F1’s post-race coverage, Hamilton held back when seemingly on the brink of emphatically blaming Vettel. In the end, given the clash didn’t