HAMILTON: I’LL FIGHT TO THE END TO OVERHAUL RED-HOT VERSTAPPEN

LEWIS HAMILTON promised to leave ‘no stone unturned’ in his world championship fight after seeing Max Verstappen sweep to a dominant win in Mexico. The Dutch driver finished 16.5 seconds ahead of the Briton, with the Red Bulls markedly superior to the Mercedes. Hamilton (below), who trails Verstappen by 19 points, said: ‘I started second and finished second so I cannot complain. ‘I got a really good start and I feel like I maximised what I had. But, jeez, their pace was unbelievable and there was nothing I could do to battle that. ‘When you have got Sergio (Perez in the other Red Bull) on your tail you know the car is quick. I have got four races to go and I have to keep pushing. They have the faster car but all I can do is try to squeeze everything out of mine and make sure we don’t leave any stone unturned and give it my all.’ Verstappen, who made a brilliant move at the first corner, said: ‘The start? It was nice, three cars wide, and it was all about just trying to brake as late as you can. I kept it on the track, came from third to first, and that was basically what made my race because I could just focus on myself, and we had incredible pace in the car. ‘There’s still a long way to go. It’s of course looking good but it can also turn around very quickly. I’m looking forward to Brazil next week. I have very good memories there.’ Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas was held to be at fault for allowing Verstappen to surge ahead, yielding the racing line after starting on pole. Former Renault driver Jolyon Palmer said: ‘If you’re Bottas, you’ve got to hang Verstappen out to dry! You cannot let Verstappen drive around your outside at turn one. It’s weak from Bottas. As a result, he’s minding his own business after that and he gets clipped by Ricciardo. ‘If you’re Toto Wolff, you’re not happy with that.’ Bottas finished 15th and at least deprived Verstappen of the point for fastest lap late on.