A strategic move by Hamilton against timid Ferraris: the Top 3 reactions in Mexico
Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes managed to turn around a situation that was not favorable for them at the start of the race by winning the Mexican Grand Prix against Ferrari, which once again failed to convert their excellent qualifying positions.
Lewis Hamilton had every reason to be satisfied as he stepped out of his car to enjoy a colorful podium in Mexico. The British driver and his team completely turned the situation around this Sunday to dominate the two Ferrari drivers and secure an unexpected victory.
« We arrived here thinking that we would be in trouble, knowing that it was a complicated race for us, but we made it. » said the five-time world champion, smiling.
However, the start was quite eventful and the winner’s car suffered from a touch with an aggressive Max Verstappen: « We had quite a bit of damage on the car, so the race was quite difficult. I had to keep my head down. The second stint seemed long but I am very proud of my team today. »
Frustration was more the feeling that drove Sebastian Vettel after this race that he and his teammate started from the front row: « It was a very intense race because there was no downtime, and I had Valtteri behind me putting pressure on me in the final stint, before I could focus on Lewis in front. I think Lewis was on a cruising pace in the second stint until we caught up with him…so he had enough tire capital to stay ahead. » admitted the German.
Aware that Mercedes’ strategy was the best, Vettel somewhat regrets not having tried something else: “I am happy because it was a good race, but I think that maybe we could have been sharper in terms of strategy.”
After his mishap on Saturday and his violent off-track excursion, Valtteri Bottas was quite happy to finish on the podium and prolong for some time the relative suspense in the drivers’ championship: “Today has been very good, especially considering the circumstances after yesterday’s collision and the fact that I started the race in 6th place. I had a difficult start, but after that, I had a very good race. We maximized our result, and the whole team delivered exceptional work, be it the mechanics for repairing the car or the strategists for the race,” concluded the Finn.
