Ferrari’s fast F1 start reduced to late-season flop

MEXICO CITY — Ferrari began the Formula One season with a furious start. A decade removed from its last season championship, the chase with Mercedes was finally on and Sebastian Vettel was taking the fight to Lewis Hamilton.

Then came a crash in Singapore. A spark plug problem in Japan.

By the final laps of Hamilton’s victory at the U.S. Grand Prix last weekend, Vettel was just a red blur in the Mercedes rear view mirror. Again.

And by finishing second in a race it had to win, Ferrari’s season-opening roar has been reduced to a shrug and pouted lips, all but crushed by Hamilton’s second-half surge of checkered flags.

“There was no real secret other than they were quicker than us,” Vettel said. “Whoever is faster usually has a good chance of winning ... We tried to fight. At least that was better than other races when we didn’t have a chance.”

Mathematically, Vettel could still win the title for the Italian team if Hamilton has a three-race collapse of epic proportions, starting this weekend at the Mexican Grand Prix. But Hamilton has scored points in every race this season and hasn’t missed a podium since the race in Hungary back on July 30.

If Hamilton finishes fifth or higher in Mexico City, he will claim his third season championship in four years and his fourth overall, matching the four Vettel won with Red Bull from 20102013. He has already won nine races this year.