At the start of the Mexican Grand Prix, Mercedes discussed how they would try to contain Max Verstappen’s threat, but the Red Bull driver took the lead into Turn 1.
At the start of the Mexico City Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton chastised teammate Valtteri Bottas for allowing Max Verstappen to past the Mercedes duo.
Both Bottas and Hamilton appeared to be moving well off the line, but on the approach to Turn 1, they were soon side-by-side with the Red Bull driver. In the end, Verstappen was able to get around the pair.
Hamilton told RacingNews365.com and other accredited members of the media after the race that Mercedes talked about how they would try to keep Verstappen at bay, but that plan won’t help properly.
“I had envisaged it differently, naturally, in the sense that Valtteri maybe would get a better start, and I would have tried to get into his tow,” said Hamilton.
“But obviously I was alongside him, which was good. And then I was just covering my side of the track, trying to make sure no one could come up the inside, so I was trying to keep whichever Red Bull I could see in my mirror behind.
“I thought Valtteri would be doing the same, but obviously he left the door open for Max. And Max was on the racing line, so he did a mega job braking into Turn 1, and because I’m on the inside in the dirt, there was no hope for me.”
Bottas spin made life harder for Hamilton
Bottas was hit by Daniel Ricciardo of McLaren at Turn 1 and fell to the rear of the field, leaving Hamilton to battle the two Red Bull cars on his own, making things even more tough for the seven-time World Champion.
“That made the race a lot harder, naturally,” said Hamilton. “Having one car ahead, it just meant they could play with their strategy.
“Sergio [Perez] I think was super-close within that first stint, and I couldn’t really pull away from him. There was a moment where they were either going to undercut us, or we were going to undercut them, so we stopped.
“I think the team did a great job, it was just that we didn’t have really much left on the tyres at the end. But where there’s a will, there’s a way.
“We managed to keep them behind. One more lap, and I think it would have been over, but I’m happy I still got second.”
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