Mexico: The Hits and Misses from the Editorial Team
It is now time to discuss the main highlights and disappointments of this weekend in Mexico, which saw Max Verstappen's victory in his Red Bull and Lewis Hamilton claiming his fifth World Drivers' Championship title!
The top 3
Max Verstappen victorious despite his disappointment in qualifying
We had left Max Verstappen with a closed face and a sulky expression on Saturday night after his teammate Daniel Ricciardo snatched the pole position from him.
This last one nevertheless made his task easier at the start on Sunday by completely missing his takeoff, allowing the Dutchman to pull away and sail towards a rather easy victory.
Good tire management, no reliability issues, luck and talent were on Jos’s son’s side this Sunday, allowing him to secure his fifth victory, like an old Formula 1 veteran.
Incredible to win again in Mexico! I was determined to win today and luckily we did just that. Amazing! Again a perfect job by @redbullracing, thank you for the great car 👊🏻 #KeepPushing #MexicoGP pic.twitter.com/YgBTnz2W7E
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) 28 octobre 2018
Ferrari puts pressure on Mercedes
Sebastian Vettel had to win to delay Lewis Hamilton’s title win to a later point in the season. It was a lost cause for the German driver, who likely had the goal of the Constructors’ Championship for Ferrari in mind more than his own ambition for the world crown.
Starting 4th and 6th on the grid, behind the two Mercedes, the Ferrari drivers managed to turn the tide on Sunday by finishing on the podium ahead of Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, thus putting pressure on the Silver Arrows in the constructors’ championship and giving the public a stake in the final two races.
Double podium for the Scuderia at the #MexicoGP! #Seb5 ends P2 and #Kimi7 P3 #ForzaFerrari pic.twitter.com/wSPJzQDqwj
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) 28 octobre 2018
Stoffel Vandoorne reminds everyone of his talent
Freed from concerns about the future of his career, the Belgian driver raced the Mexican Grand Prix by avoiding all obstacles and demonstrating qualities, particularly in tire management, that we had almost forgotten about him.
Once again outpaced in qualifying by Fernando Alonso, Vandoorne managed to secure an excellent 8th place for McLaren considering the team’s recent struggles in the last races. These 4 points, against the null result of Racing Point Force India, allow the Woking-based team to breathe a little and temporarily maintain a miraculous 6th place in the championship, which they owe solely to the annulment of points from the Indian team.
Stoffel crosses the line in P8 at the #MexicoGP. 🏁👊
A stellar drive from @svandoorne and a solid team strategy sees us bring home points from Mexico City. 🇲🇽 pic.twitter.com/mNRYOpEzJa
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) 28 octobre 2018
The flop 3
Mercedes overheating!
Certainly, Lewis Hamilton won his fifth world title, the fourth with Mercedes, at the conclusion of the race. However, the German team seems to have significantly lost performance over the last two Grand Prix and is being dominated by Ferrari.
The controversy caused by the compliance of the W09’s rims has disrupted the team, which has reverted to the older models of this component and has not yet found solutions to compensate for this lack of performance.
Mercedes still holds a 55-point lead over Ferrari in the championship, but it must be acknowledged that the Reds are putting pressure on the Grays at this end of the season.
LAP 39/71: And Vettel goes past Hamilton and up to P2
2018 TITLE PERMUTATIONS:
Hamilton will take the world title if he finishes P7 or higher, even if Vettel wins the race#MexicoGP 🇲🇽 #F1 pic.twitter.com/KDhz3BApFx— Formula 1 (@F1) 28 octobre 2018
“Checo” Pérez, not a prophet in his own country.
Once again outperformed by his teammate in qualifying, Sergio Pérez also experienced a complicated race in front of his home crowd. Even though he managed to make his way into the points zone, his Racing Point Force India was not the most suitable car to shine on the Rodriguez brothers circuit.
Alas, the Mexican driver will discreetly retire in the middle of the race due to a mechanical problem, leaving his audience speechless.
LAP 36/71: Perez passes Leclerc, moves up to P8 – the home crowd loved that! 😍 #MexicoGP 🇲🇽 #F1 pic.twitter.com/EzhhfuN2JY
— Formula 1 (@F1) 28 octobre 2018
Haas F1 Team no longer scores!
Is the situation becoming concerning within the American team? It’s already been three Grand Prix since neither Romain Grosjean nor Kevin Magnussen have scored points.
The Mexican track does not suit Gene Haas’s single-seaters, which seems written in their genes since the South American round returned to the calendar. However, the lack of development of the VF-18 is glaring, especially compared to the team’s good performances at the beginning of the season. Fortunately, the season is coming to an end…
The good news? There are ✌️ races left to give it everything we have. #MexicoGP recap: https://t.co/2lapi8z1vb pic.twitter.com/VmybrdDbOA
— Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) 28 octobre 2018
