Lewis Hamilton says he will keep giving Max Verstappen plenty of space
Lewis Hamilton has expressed concern that drivers are forced to take extra care when racing against Max Verstappen. Hamilton all but sealed his sixth world championship at the Mexican Grand Prix on Sunday but his win was secured only after an on-track clash with Verstappen, which he described as being “torpedoed”. The Briton should take the title at the next round in Austin.
Hamilton won at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez after starting from third on the grid with a superb performance that was very much against the odds. Mercedes had been beaten for pace by Ferrari and Red Bull over the weekend but on race day they executed a superb strategy. Sending Hamilton into the pits early to take a one-stop on the hard tyre put him in the lead over Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel. He had track position but needed to make his tyres last for 47 laps. He did so with an outstanding display of controlled precision driving.
However, the world champion’s race almost ended in the first corners of the opening lap. Verstappen had started from fourth and was alongside Hamilton
as they entered the first corner. With little space to manoeuvre the pair went wheel to wheel through turn two, touched one another and were forced across the grass. Hamilton took damage to his rear floor, costing him stability and consequently forcing him to adapt his driving style.
“Obviously got torpedoed,” he said. “I thought at some stage I’d get torpedoed by Max. I braked into turn one and all of a sudden Max is alongside me. If you have seen my previous races, I always leave Max a lot of space because it is the smartest thing you can do.”
Hamilton had been critical of Verstappen after he failed to slow under yellow flags during qualifying, for which he was demoted from pole position. Hamilton described it as “careless and not abiding by the rules”.
After the race he went further in suggesting that clashes with Verstappen were almost inevitable unless he was given a wide berth. “Every driver is slightly different. Some are very smart and aggressive, and some are silly with it,” he said. “So through those experiences you give some more space, and with others you don’t have to because they are quite respectful. But with Max it is very likely you are going to come together with him if you don’t give him the extra space.
“I don’t think it was intentional what happened on the first lap, but he’s a magnet for those kind of things.”
Vettel, who has also had several runins with Verstappen, gave an acerbic but amusing answer when asked his opinion. Referring to Hamilton’s comments he said: “Just copy and paste. It’s true.”
Verstappen has exhibited a more controlled, mature driving style this year after receiving criticism for some of his more reckless manoeuvres in previous seasons. He did go on to put in an impressive comeback drive. Having taken a puncture when he was clipped by Valtteri Bottas that dropped the Dutchman to last, he came through the field to finish sixth, a remarkable stint of 66 laps on the same tyre.
Formula One now heads to Austin for the US GP this weekend. Hamilton leads Bottas by 74 points with 78 available. A finish of eighth or higher in Texas will be enough for the title.
Mercedes will expect to be strong once more in the US as will Hamilton, who has won four of the past five meetings. He was anticipating a strong conclusion to his campaign there, where he is perhaps the most well-known and visible of all the F1 drivers.
“I’m definitely becoming more and more known in the States,” he said. “I think my story and my family’s story is something that a lot of people in different countries can relate to. America’s always a cool place to live. They do it their own way.
“The track is fantastic and it’s been a good hunting ground for me, so very excited to go there and who knows whether we can get the job done. We’ll hopefully have a good race there.”