An unnecessary podium for Vettel: reactions from the Top 3 in Mexico
Max Verstappen's victory was somewhat overshadowed by the fifth world title achieved in Mexico by Lewis Hamilton. The strong performance by the Ferrari team, with Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen on the podium, was not enough to delay the outcome.
After a frustrating Saturday that saw him narrowly miss out on pole position to his teammate Daniel Ricciardo, Max Verstappen set things right by clinching the fifth victory of his career, his second consecutive win in Mexico.
The Dutchman secured this victory right from the start, launching perfectly against Ricciardo and fending off attacks from Lewis Hamilton: « The start was key. To be honest with you, I didn’t sleep very well Saturday night, so I was really determined to win, and we managed to do it. » said the Red Bull driver to David Coulthard as he stepped out of his car.
A little later in the press conference, Verstappen reflected on his race and his good tire management: « I think the way the tires behaved was somewhat unexpected. We anticipated this with the Hyper softs, but I think the reaction of the Super softs surprised everyone. We came here with several tire strategies in mind, and in the end, you always end up more or less with the same type of tires. But very quickly, over the weekend, we realized that the Super softs were quite consistent tires, and fortunately, we had two sets. We didn’t use them during practice to save them for the race in case we needed them, and we did need them, so it’s perfect! »
“Super angry” after qualifying 😠
Only three hours of sleep 😴
But @Max33Verstappen felt a whole lot better on Sunday after winning in Mexico> https://t.co/lUWf6HsJHp#MexicoGP #F1 🇲🇽 pic.twitter.com/eCHPkGwKnL
— Formula 1 (@F1) 29 octobre 2018
A second place insufficient for Vettel
He needed to win to try to keep the championship suspense alive a little longer, but Sebastian Vettel could do nothing against an imperial Max Verstappen during the race. In any case, Lewis Hamilton’s fourth place dashed his title hopes today. A title lost much earlier in the season by the German.
Good sport, the Ferrari driver acknowledged the superiority of his opponent throughout the year: « He drove superbly all season and he was the better of the two of us. I told him he deserved his title and to enjoy it. Five titles is something exceptional. I asked him to continue fighting next year because I need him at his best to beat him again. » the German confided.
The disappointment is obviously immense for the four-time world champion: « It’s a horrible moment. You put in a lot of work and okay, at some point you clearly see what’s going to happen. I’ve had this kind of disappointment three times in my life, where you realize you can no longer win the championship, and these are not happy days. You don’t think about a specific moment but about the entire year and all the work put in, the effort that has been ongoing since the end of last year until now, and yes, I think we had our chances. We used most of them, but not all. But in the end, we were not good enough. » concludes Vettel bitterly.
“I told him it was well deserved and to enjoy it. Number five, it’s something incredible. He drove superbly all year. He was the better one of us two”
– Sebastian Vettel pic.twitter.com/hxL6x6UujX
— Formula 1 (@F1) 29 octobre 2018
Kimi Räikkönen secures an unexpected podium!
Far from the Top 3 throughout the race, Kimi Räikkönen benefited from Daniel Ricciardo’s retirement at the end of the race to secure another podium, a week after his victory in Austin.
A celebration, in the ambient gloom of Ferrari, which seems to whet the appetite of the Finnish driver: « It’s probably the best possible result for us considering where we started from. My last set of tires was quite good, not fast enough but…of course, we want even more, but I cannot complain too much. We have two races left, and we will try to do even better. »
