MEXICAN GP - RACE - RE-CAP & RESULTS
After finishing third in the US, the Mercedes driver only needed to finish seventh or higher to seal the 2018 title with two rounds remaining.
His P4 finish – two places behind title rival Sebastian Vettel – puts him 64 points ahead of the Ferrari driver with just 50 points on offer from the final two races.
Max Verstappen, who narrowly missed out on his first pole position, snatched the race lead from team-mate Daniel Ricciardo off the line. Hamilton also enjoyed a strong start and challenged Verstappen on the run to the first corner, but wasn’t able to get passed.
Struggling with tyre wear, he wasn’t able to keep the pressure on Verstappen, allowing the Red Bull driver to escape up the road while he nursed his tyres.
Behind him, Daniel Ricciardo was putting up a strong defence against Vettel in the battle for the final podium position. The pair were still fighting when they came up to lap Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez, who were locked in a battle for P8.
The four drivers managed to avoid one another as the fights overlapped, and Vettel found a way past the Red Bull.
With Hamilton once again nursing tyres – despite having come in for fresh rubber not long ago – it wasn’t long before Vettel was on his tail. The Ferrari easily slipped past the Mercedes and set about attempting to catch Verstappen.
While Hamilton complained about tyres, Ricciardo closed in on the championship leader. He made a few half hearted attempts at his signature lunge, but was too far back to make a serious overtaking move.
The Red Bull driver then attempted a move around the outside. Hamilton locked up and ran wide over the grass, allowing Ricciardo through.
Hamilton and Vettel both came into the pits at the end of the lap, promoting Ricciardo to second, but it wasn’t an easy end to the race for the Australian.
Vettel quickly closed onto the back of Ricciardo and looked set to pass his former team-mate again when smoke began to pour out the back of the Red Bull.
Again, a mechanical problem brought an end to Ricciardo’s race. He pulled to the side of the track, prompting a virtual safety car.
Vettel was now second again, but he couldn’t close the gap to Verstappen, who finished 17 seconds.
Team-mate Kimi Raikkonen completed the podium after a tough battle with Bottas in the closing stages of the race. Raikkonen was behind Bottas when the Mercedes locked up and ran wide in almost exactly the same fashion as his team-mate.
Bottas at the end of the lap, and then again during the virtual safety car which was brought out to recover Ricciardo’s car. He finished fifth, ahead of Nico Hulkenberg and Leclerc.
Stoffel Vandoorne, Marcus Ericsson, and Pierre Gasly rounded out the top 10.
Brendon Hartley was once again in the wars on the opening lap, making contact with Esteban Ocon. Both cars were damaged, and debris from Ocon’s front wing flew back into the McLaren of Fernando Alonso.
The debris became lodged behind Alonso’s front wing, bringing his race to an early end.
Carlos Sainz came to a stop after 28 laps with an electrical issue, before home hero Sergio Perez came into the pits with a brake problem.
After the early drama, Ocon finished P11, ahead of Hartley, Lance Stroll, and Sergey Sirotkin.
Haas drivers Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean tried an alternate strategy with a long opening stint, but were the last of the finishers, with Magnussen finishing ahead of his team-mate.
RESULTS:
1. Max Verstappen / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands / + 25 Points
2. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / + 18 Points
3. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / + 15 Points
4. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 12 Points
5. Valtteri Bottas / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland / + 10 Points
6. Nico Hulkenberg / Renault-Renault / Germany / + 8 Points
7. Charles Leclerc / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco / + 6 Points
8. Stoffel Vandoorne / McLaren-Renault / Belgium / + 4 Points
9. Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden / + 2 Points
10. Pierre Gasly / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France / + 1 Point
11. Esteban Ocon / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes
12. Lance Stroll / Williams-Mercedes / Canada
13. Sergey Sirotkin / Williams-Mercedes / Russia
14. Brendon Hartley / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand
15. Kevin Magnussen / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark
16. Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France
RETIRED - Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia / Hydraulics
RETIRED - Sergio Perez / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / Mexico / Brakes
RETIRED - Carlos Sainz / Renault-Renault / Spain / Electrics
RETIRED - Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Renault / Spain / Debris
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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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