He may not have wrapped up the Drivers Championship but Hamilton managed to take first-place in Mexico which also gave him his 100th podium for Mercedes.
The Mexican Grand Prix delivered another thriller from start to finish with Max Verstappen charging off the line and eventually making contact with Lewis Hamilton on turn 2 which forced both drivers onto the grass while Leclerc and Vettel shot clear.
Hamilton was able to recover and retain 4th position while Verstappen’s troubles went from bad to worse when he suffered a puncture while attempting to overtake Bottas. This saw him drop back into last position and furious.
Tactics played a big part in the race with Leclerc committed to a two-stop plan, pitting early which allowed team-mate Sebastian Vettel to take the lead and play the long game with his tyres.
Bottas and Hamilton both went long on their first stint but Lewis was quickly complaining that he felt he had pitted too early.
“We stopped too early. There’s a really long way to go on these tyres, man.”
“I don’t know if the gap is enough, man. For [a rival] to come out on fresh tyres.”
The Mercedes team continued to assure Hamilton that they had made the right decision and looked to Ricciardo still performing well on the hard compound.
“Yeah, Lewis we know it’s going to be difficult but we’re going for a win if we can do this.”
“Ricciardo is still finding time on that hard.”
As the race reached the concluding stages it was clear that the team had made the right decision as Hamilton was able to comfortably hold off Sebastian Vettel to claim first place and also give Mercedes their 100th victory.
Hamilton was quick to thank his team after doubting their stratergy.
“Thank you so much for all your hard work. That was a tough race, thanks so much for all your support as always.”
The F1 now heads to America where Lewis only needs 4 points to take out the Drivers Championship.
