Image Credit [The Independent]
Lewis Hamilton has won his fifth Formula One World Championship at the Mexico Grand Prix, making him the second most successful driver on par with Argentina’s Juan Manuel Fangio. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the race on the day but for Hamilton, his fourth place finish was more than enough to take away the title.
The Mercedes driver would have liked to have assured the title with a win and with a promising start, Hamilton looked to be in a convincing position. However, Red Bull’s Verstappen had an absolutely incredible race taking the lead in the first turn where he then managed to stay in control throughout the entire duration. Hamilton once again experienced a difficult race and could not keep up with the Red Bull driver after experiencing tyre problems early on. The Mercedes driver was forced to take a pit stop on lap 12 due to a worn down front tyre on the left hand side, where he then switched his tyres to super-soft.
The 33 year-old believes that the position he is in now gives him a great chance of being able to to match Michael Schumacher’s seven titles.
Hamilton said: “It was a horrible race. I had a great start and was working my way up and I really don’t know what happened” He added “I just tried to bring the car home”.
However, a seventh place finish in Mexico was all Hamilton needed in order to beat rival Sebastian Vettel who was also racing for his fifth championship title. Vettel went into the race on Sunday already 70 points behind Hamilton, meaning that his second place finish on the day was too little too late.
Hamilton dedicated his win to his grandfather who sadly passed away just four days before claiming the title on Sunday. Winning the title reminded Hamilton of the sacrifices which his grandfather gave in order for him to be where he is today. Hamilton quotes “I’ll never forget the things he did for me to be here”. Despite the difficult year Hamilton has experienced, his achievement on Sunday will be one that both himself and his family will be extremely proud of.
The season has been extremely close with Ferrari creeping up on the very dominant Mercedes. Before the Grand Prix went to Germany, Vettel’s win at Silverstone meant that he was leading Hamilton by eight points. However, wet weather in Germany saw the Ferrari driver take a turn for the worst and his crash meant that Hamilton was able to go on and win the race leaving the Hockenheimring course with a 17 point lead. From then on Hamilton won five of the next seven races, which meant victory was in sure sight.
Hamilton knew what had to be done and although he may not have made the podium on the day; his fourth place finish in Mexico was enough to take the championship title with Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel finishing second. The 33 year-old believes that the position he is in now gives him a great chance of being able to to match Michael Schumacher’s seven titles.
Millie Warrilow