Hamilton wins race, but not title yet

Lewis Hamilton masterfully won a tense Mexican GP ahead of Sebastian Vettel but will have to wait at least a week to secure a sixth F1 title.

Hamilton needed to outscore Valtteri Bottas by 14 points or more to seal an early coronation, but his Mercedes team-mate finished third behind the lead Ferrari in a strategy-led race to extend the championship battle.

“I don’t mind [waiting for the championship],” said Hamilton. “I love racing and I take it one race at a time. This is a race I’ve wanted to win for some time so I’m incredibly humbled by today’s opportunity.”

The United States GP, round 18 of the 21-race season, is live and exclusive on Sky Sports F1 next Sunday.

Hamilton’s win wasn’t filled with aggression or dazzling overtakes, but was just as impressive as many of the 82 previous victories that have helped him to five F1 titles.

After overcoming first-lap contact with Max Verstappen and running onto the grass, Hamilton somehow maintained race-winning pace on worn tyres as he completed a 47-lap second stint to hold off Vettel and Bottas.

“We came here thinking we were on the back foot, knowing it was a difficult race for us but we pulled through,” added the Englishman.

“I had quite a bit of damage on my car so the race was quite a bit of a struggle. I kept my head down and it seemed like a long second stint. But I’m so grateful for today.”

Charles Leclerc finished fourth as Ferrari failed to capitalise on their front-row lockout. The Monegasque twice pitted from the lead, but couldn’t trouble the top three despite running on fresh tyres.

Vettel admitted Ferrari could have been a “bit sharper” when it came to strategy.

Alex Albon, who looked in contention after a strong start, was only fifth, while Verstappen recovered from a nightmare start to place behind his team-mate. Not only did Verstappen tangle with Hamilton, but he sustained a puncture when passing Bottas early on and a pit-stop dropped him to the back of the field.

It was an incredibly frustrating weekend for Verstappen – who lost pole thanks to a post-qualifying penalty – but his drive, featuring a mega 65-lap stint, deserves credit.

Sergio Perez was seventh ahead of Daniel Ricciardo, while McLaren had a nightmare as Lando Norris suffered a botched pit-stop and later retired, while Carlos Sainz, who started seventh, fell back to 13th.

More to follow.

Mexican GP result
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes
4. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
5. Alex Albon, Red Bull
6. Max Verstappen, Red Bull
7. Sergio Perez, Racing Point
8. Daniel Ricciardo, Renault
9. Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso
10. Pierre Gasly, Toro Rosso

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