The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Verstappen bullish he’ll spoil party for Hamilton
Formula One: Dutch driver wants to beat Brit on brink of title in Mexico
Max Verstappen says he is ready to stop Lewis Hamilton sealing the world championship in style by beating him to victory at the Mexican Grand Prix.
Hamilton, who arrived south of the American border on Wednesday, needs to finish only seventh to be sure of his fifth title.
But the Briton, 70 points clear of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel with only 75 remaining, will want to make up for his failure to win last weekend by taking the chequered flag on Sunday.
Verstappen, 21, was victorious in Mexico last year, and the Red Bull driver, fresh from his impressive run from 18th to second in Austin, Texas, believes he has the car underneath him to triumph again.
“This is definitely the best chance for me to win out of the last three races,” he said.
“In qualifying, we may not have a chance, but in the race we seem to be working well, so I expect this to better than Austin.
“But Lewis will want to win, so I don’t think that will change anything.”
The high altitude of the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, which sits 2,200 metres above sea level, acts as an equaliser in engine performance. Hamilton, speaking later last night, said he wants to complete the job by claiming his 10th victory of a remarkable season.
“It is an added bonus to take the championship by winning the race, so that is my goal this weekend,” he said.
“I remember when I won my first title, a former champion said it was harder to get the second.
“The first one felt incredibly hard and from then on it has got harde.
“If I do win the title on Sunday, it would definitely be the one that I’m most proud of.”
“If win the title on Sunday it will be the one I am most proud of”